"B. [Baale] speakers may also refer to themselves as ↗Suri (súrí); the latter, however, is an ethnonym covering speakers of different languages: B., C̆ai and Trima (C̆ai-Trima-Mursi)... The sociolinguistic situation for B. [Baale] is characterized by 'bilingualism with diglossia'. The B. people also learn to speak the language of the C̆ai and Trima. But the latter, who are numerically more dominant usually do not speak the B. language... The B. share cultural traits with Ethiopian Suri (C̆ai and Tirmaga) and have similar socioeconomic and cultural organization ..."

"Only a few Baale people speak Dizi or Amharic, the two contact languages in the area... The Trima, Chai and Baale people feel a kindred spirit to exist between themselves as 'Suri' people. There is a strong sense of cultural and ethnic affinity..."

"There is almost no published material on this language..."

"The name Suri is an ethnonym referring to the following communities: 1. Tirma 2. Chai (or T’id) 3. Baale... Many Baale people apparently speak Tirma and/or Chai. Only few Baale people speak Dizi or Amharic. In, for example, Jeba town there are several Dizi people speaking Baale as a second language. These people intermediate between the local and regional traders and the Baale people, when the latter come to town in order to buy salt and razor blades."

"[Baale] live together with the ↗Murle. They are also known as ↗Suri (Lyth 1947) or Kac̆ipo, but they call themselves B. or Balethi... They have also been one of the most isolated and unknown groups in the Ethio-Sudanese region, little touched by trade, missionaries or the state administration... The B. [Baale] are said to be the first in line to organize the initiation of their new senior age-set (carried out every 25-30 years), to be followed by Tirmaga and C̆ai. These three groups also organized joint raiding and armed expeditions."

"The Baale people have a strong sense of cultural and ethnic affinity with the Tirma and Chai..."

"[Baale] are in close contact with the Trima and Chai... The Trima, Chai, and Baale frequently intermarry and hold common ceremonies. They refer to themselves as Suri (or Surma people)... [There is] a situation of bilingualism with diglossia amongst speakers of Khoti and Baale... The Baale and Khoti communities maintained a partly separate identity, in that they upheld their own family ties, cultures and partly distinct ethnic history. Neither the Baale, nor the Khoti gave up their first language, presumably because they wanted to maintain a double identity... "

"Socially... the Baale class themselves with their Southeast Surmic neighbors - Chai-Trima - under the ethnonym Suri... This strong cultural bond has also been strengthened by frequent intermarriage between these groups, also resulting in compound bilingualism... The sociolinguistic situation among the Baale has, therefore, been characterized as 'bilingualism with diglossia', where most Baale speak Chai-Trima as a second language, but the latter do not tend to speak Baale... [Baale] speakers have exhibited resistance to total assimilation. Resistance has been so strong that their language has been preserved, and in effect, the Baale maintain a double identity. The Baale case... represents an instance of contact-induced language change resulting in rapid horizontal assimilation towards the neighboring but genetically related language."