Where did the Oromo language come from?

Where did the Oromo language come from?

Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/; Oromo: Afaan Oromoo) is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushitic branch. It is native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia and spoken predominantly by the Oromo people and neighbouring ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa.

How old is the Oromo language?

Long back in history, Oromia is the locale of the 3.5 million years old Lucy (the common name to several hundred pieces of bone representing about 40 % of the skeleton of an individual Australopithecus afarensis that discovered in 1974) or Chaltu in Oromo language .

What language do the Oromo speak?

Oromo (Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Oromoo) Language of the Oromo people, spoken in Northeast Africa and primarily Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as parts of Somalia and Egypt. As a macro language, it is estimated that Oromo is spoken by as many as 30,000,000 people.

Are Somalis and Oromos related?

Oromo and Somali belong to the eastern Cushitic linguistic family. Inhabiting the lowland semi-arid part of the Horn, the Somali are nomadic pastoralists. A historically friendly relationship has characterised the interaction between the Somali and the Muslim Oromo groups, such as the Arsi.

Is Oromo language banned?

The Oromo are the largest ethnic group of Ethiopia. Under the dictatorship of Haile Selassie in 1941, the Oromo language was banned, including from political life and schools, and the Amharic language and culture was forced upon the Oromo people.

What caused the Oromo migration?

Beginning with the conquest of Oromia in the late 1800s by Africans supported by European colonists, the Oromo have been subjected to much persecution from ruling governments. The dominance of other ethnic groups, particularly Amhara and Tigray, in the new government continues to be a point of strife for the Oromo.

Is Oromo a tonal language?

Tones on long vowels are marked on the first vowel symbol. In Oromo, the tone-bearing unit is the mora rather than the vowel of the syllable. A long vowel or a diphthong consists of two morae and can bear two tones. Each mora is defined as being of high or low tone.

What is the meaning of Oromo?

Oromo (pron. /ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/) is an Afroasiatic language spoken in the Horn of Africa. It is the most widely spoken language in the family’s Cushitic branch.

Where is Oromo spoken in Africa?

Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by an additional half-million people in parts of northern and eastern Kenya. It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as South Africa, Libya, Egypt and Sudan.

What is the official language of Oromia?

In Oromia, it has the status of an official language. It has its own script and it can be written with Latin script. The oral tradition is very rich and nowadays there are enough literary works written in Oromo; modern arts like music and folk arts. Oromo people speak Afaan Oromoo, as well as Amharic, Tigrinya, Gurange and Omotic languages.

Is Oromo a glottalized language?

Oromo has another glottalized phone that is more unusual, an implosive retroflex stop, “dh” in Oromo orthography, a sound that is like an English “d” produced with the tongue curled back slightly and with the air drawn in so that a glottal stop is heard before the following vowel begins.