Alaba-K'abeena language
Encyclopedia
Alaba-K'abeena is an Afro-Asiatic
language spoken in Ethiopia
in the Great Rift Valley
southwest of Lake Shala
. The literacy rate of native speakers in their language is below 1%, while their literacy rate in second languages is 8.6%; Alaba-K'abeena is taught in primary schools. It has an 81% lexical similarity with Kambaata
. However Fleming (1976) classifies K'abeena (also transliterated "Qebena") as a dialect of Kambaata. The 2007 census in Ethiopia lists Alaba and Qebena as separate languages.
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
language spoken in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
southwest of Lake Shala
Lake Shala
Lake Shala lies in Ethiopia south of Addis Ababa, in the Abijatta-Shalla National Park. The lake is 28 kilometers long and 12 wide, with a surface area of 329 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 266 meters and is at an elevation of 1,558 meters...
. The literacy rate of native speakers in their language is below 1%, while their literacy rate in second languages is 8.6%; Alaba-K'abeena is taught in primary schools. It has an 81% lexical similarity with Kambaata
Kambaata language
Kambaata is a Highland East Cushitic language, part of the larger Afro-Asiatic family and spoken by the Kambaata. Dialects are Donga, Kambaata and Tambaro. It is one of the official languages of Ethiopia. The language has a large number of verbal affixes. When these are affixed to verbal roots,...
. However Fleming (1976) classifies K'abeena (also transliterated "Qebena") as a dialect of Kambaata. The 2007 census in Ethiopia lists Alaba and Qebena as separate languages.
External links
- "Map of Alaba", LL-MAP website
- EthnologueEthnologueEthnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
information: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=alw
