Dizin language

Dizin
Native to Ethiopia
Native speakers
34,000 (2007 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 mdx
Glottolog dizi1235[2]

Dizin (often called “Dizi” or “Maji” in the literature) is an Omotic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by the Dizi people, primarily in the Maji woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, located in southwestern Ethiopia.[3] The 2007 census listed 33,927 speakers.[4] A population of 17,583 was identified as monolinguals in 1994.[5]

The language has basic SOV (subject–object–verb) word order, tones, and is largely suffixing. Phonologically, "Features of the Dizin sound system include glottalized consonants, syllabic nasals, lengthened vowels, three phonemic tone levels and contour tones. Western Dizin has phonemic retroflex consonants. The glottal stop is analyzed as phonemic word initially before nasals, but not phonemic elsewhere". (Beachy 2005:iv)

Dizin, together with the Sheko and Nayi languages, is part of a cluster of languages variously called "Maji" or "Dizoid".

Notes

  1. Ethiopia 2007 Census
  2. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Dizin". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  3. The 1994 Population and Housing census of the SNNPR Region: Volume I, Part I, Table 2.15. According to Table 2.16, Dizin is second to Amhara in the number of speakers in the woreda's towns of Maji, Jeba and Tum.
  4. Ethiopia 2007 Census
  5. Raymond G. Gordon, Jr, ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.

References

External links


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