Girirra language

Wikipedia

Girirra
Af Girirra
Native toEthiopia
RegionAf-Dheer Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia
EthnicityGirirra, Somali
Native speakers
50,000 (2007)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3gii
Glottologgiri1245

Girirra also called Gariire is a Cushitic language of Ethiopia. It has extensive borrowing from Somali.[2] Although not mutually intelligible with Somali, it is estimated that around 70% of the Garirra language is made up of Somali loan words. There has not been many studies on the language itself and is often grouped into a small umbrella of the Macro-Somali language family including relatives like: Rendille, Boni, Bayso, and the two dialects of Somali, being Af-Maay, and Af-Maxaa (Standard Somali).[3]

Phonology

The following are the phonemes found in Girirra:[4]

Consonant phonemes
Labial Alveolar Palato-
alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless t k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ
glottalic ɗ t͡ʃʼ
Fricative f s ʃ h
Nasal m n ɲ
Trill r
Approximant l j
Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i, u,
Mid e, o,
Open a,

References

  1. Girirra at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. SILESR2002 061
  3. Blench, Roger (2006). "The Afro-Asiatic Languages Classification and Reference List" (PDF). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Mekonnen, Hundie Kumbi. 2015. The Grammar of Girirra (A Lowland East Cushitic Language of Ethiopia). (Doctoral dissertation, Addis Ababa University; xxvii+367pp.)

Further reading

  • Mekonnen, Hundie Kumbi. 2015. The Grammar of Girirra (A Lowland East Cushitic Language of Ethiopia). (Doctoral dissertation, Addis Ababa University; xxvii+367pp.)