Southern Oromo
Borana
RegionKenya, Ethiopia, Somalia
EthnicityBorana Oromo, Sakuye
Native speakers
8.4 million (2000–2019)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3gax
Glottologbora1271

Southern Oromo, or Borana (after one of its dialects), is a variety of Oromo spoken in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya by the Borana people. Günther Schlee also notes that it is the native language of a number of related peoples, such as the Sakuye.[2]

Dialects are Borana proper (Boran, Borena), possibly Arsi (Arussi, Arusi) and Guji (Gujji, Jemjem) in Ethiopia and, in Kenya, Karayu, Salale (Selale), Gabra (Gabbra, Gebra) and possibly Orma and Waata.

The language is locally and commonly known as Afaan Borana ("Borana language").

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ (ŋ)
Stop/
Affricate
voiceless (p) t t͡ʃ k
voiced b d d͡ʒ
ejective t͡ʃʼ
implosive ɗ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ h
voiced (z)
Rhotic r
Lateral l
Approximant w j
  • Sounds /k, kʼ/ can be heard as fricatives [x, xʼ] when in intervocalic position.
  • /n/ can be heard as [ŋ] when occurring before velar sounds.
  • /ɗ/ can also have a retroflex allophone [ɖ] and can also be heard as a tap [ɾ] in intervocalic position.
  • Sounds [p, z] only occur in loanwords.

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

Vowel sounds /i, e, a, o/ can also be heard as [ɪ, ɛ, ʌ, ɔ].[3]

References

  1. Southern Oromo at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
  2. Schlee, Günther (1985). "Interethnic Clan Identities among Cushitic-Speaking Pastoralists". Africa. 55 (1): 21. doi:10.2307/1159837. JSTOR 1159837.
  3. Stroomer, Harry (1995). A Grammar of Boraana Oromo (Kenya): Phonology, Morphology, Vocabularies. Köln: Köppe.


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