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Cushitic language of Ethiopia and Kenya
Oromo
Afaan Oromoo
Oromoo script, Qubee Saaphaloo, from Bakri Sapalo
Native to
Ethiopia, Kenya[1]
Region
Oromia
Ethnicity
Oromo
Native speakers
37.4 million (all countries) (2018)[2] 36.6 million in Ethiopia, 627,000 in Kenya,[3] 96,000 in Sudan,[4] 41,600 in Somalia[1]
Language family
Afro-Asiatic
Cushitic
Lowland East Cushitic
Oromoid
Oromo
Writing system
Latin (Qubee, Oromo alphabet)
Official status
Official language in
Ethiopia[5]
Recognised minority language in
Kenya
Language codes
ISO 639-1
om
ISO 639-2
orm
ISO 639-3
orm – inclusive code Individual codes: gax – Borana–Arsi–Guji–Wallaggaa-Shawaa Oromo hae – Eastern Oromo orc – Orma gaz – West Central Oromo ssn – Waata
Glottolog
nucl1736
Areas in East Africa where Oromo is spoken
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Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/[6] or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/;[7][8] Oromo: Afaan Oromoo), historically also called Galla[9] (a name regarded as pejorative by the Oromo),[10] is an Afroasiatic language that belongs to the Cushitic branch. It is native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia and Northern Kenya and is spoken predominantly by the Oromo people and neighboring ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa. It is used as a lingua franca particularly in the Oromia Region and northeastern Kenya.[11][12][13]
With more than 36 million speakers[14] making up 33.8% of the total Ethiopian population,[15] Oromo has the largest number of native speakers in Ethiopia, and ranks as the second most widely spoken language in Ethiopia by total number of speakers (including second-language speakers) following Amharic.[16] Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by an additional half-million people in parts of northern and eastern Kenya.[17] It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as South Africa, Libya, Egypt and Sudan. Oromo is the most widely spoken Cushitic language and among the five languages of Africa with the largest mother-tongue populations.[18]
Oromo serves as one of the official working languages of Ethiopia[5] and is also the working language of several of the states within the Ethiopian federal system including Oromia,[15] Harari and Dire Dawa regional states and of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region. It is a language of primary education in Oromia, Harari, Dire Dawa, Benishangul-Gumuz and Addis Ababa and of the Oromia Zone in the Amhara Region. It is used as an internet language for federal websites along with Tigrinya.[19][20] Under Haile Selassie's regime, Oromo was banned in education, in conversation, and in administrative matters.[21][22][23]
^ abEberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2021). "Oromo". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Eighteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2021). "Ethiopia". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2021). "Borana". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Eighteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^"Oromo, West Central". Ethnologue. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
^ abShaban, Abdurahman (2020-03-04). "One to Five: Ethiopia Gets Four New Federal Working Languages". Africa News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
^Bauer, Laurie (2007). The Linguistics Student's Handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-2759-2.
^"Oromo". Dictionary Reference.
^"Oromo". TheFreeDictionary.com.
^Hodson, Arnold W.; Walker, Craven H. (July 1924). "Grammar of the Galla or Oromo Language". African Affairs (Review). XXIII (XCII): 328–329. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a100016.
^Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D. "Oromo, West-Central [gaz]". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-fifth edition. Dallas: SIL International. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
^Bulcha, Merkuria (1997). "The Politics of Linguistic Homogenization in Ethiopia and the Conflict over the Status of Afaan Oromoo". African Affairs. 96 (384): 325–352. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007852. JSTOR 723182.
^"Oromo (Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Oromoo)". Language Centre Resources. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^"Oromo Language". MustGo. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
^"Ethiopia". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
^ ab"Ethiopia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 6 June 2022.
^"Amharic". Ethnologue.
^"Oromo". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 2016-08-25. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
^"Children's Books Breathe New Life Into Oromo Language". BBC. 16 February 2016.
^"mcit.gov.et". mcit.gov.et. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
^"ቤት | FMOH". moh.gov.et. Archived from the original on 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
^Davey, Melissa (2016-02-13). "Oromo Children's Books Keep Once-Banned Ethiopian Language Alive". The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
^"Oromo" (PDF) (Brochure). National African Language Resource Center (NALRC).
^"Ethiopians: Amhara and Oromo". International Institute of Minnesota.
Oromo (/ˈɒrəmoʊ/ or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/; Oromo: Afaan Oromoo), historically also called Galla (a name regarded as pejorative by the Oromo), is an Afroasiatic...
Kenya. They speak the Oromolanguage (also called Afaan Oromoo), which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are one...
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...
The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA; Oromo: Waraana Bilisummaa Oromoo, WBO) is an armed opposition group active in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. The OLA consist...
The Oromo conflict is a protracted conflict between the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Ethiopian government. The Oromo Liberation Front formed to...
Eastern Oromo is a form of Oromolanguage spoken in the East Hararghe Zone, West Hararghe Zone and northern Bale Zone of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia...
Oromo may refer to: Oromo people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia and Kenya Oromolanguage, an Afroasiatic languageOromo (dish), a Central Asia food item...
country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromolanguage, spoken by the Oromo, and Somali, spoken by...
The Oromo Liberation Front (Oromo: Adda Bilisummaa Oromoo, abbreviated: ABO; English abbreviation: OLF) is an Oromo nationalist political party formed...
Oromia (Amharic: ኦሮሚያ) (Oromo: Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa (Finfinne)...
This is a list of notable Oromo people. Ali Birra – Artist Baalu Girma – Artist Bakri Sapalo – Historian and Artist Boonaa Mohammed – Poetry Elias Melka...
The Oromo Democratic Party (Oromo: Paartii Demokraatawaa Oromoo, ODP), formerly called the Oromo People's Democratic Organization, was a political party...
the Cushitic languages of both the Oromo people and Somali people in the Horn of Africa. The word still means God in present Oromolanguage. Some traditions...
Afroasiatic languages include the Chadic Hausa language with over 34 million native speakers, the Semitic Amharic language with 34 million, the Cushitic Oromo language...
Orma is a variety of the Oromolanguage spoken by the Orma people in Kenya. It is a dialect of Southern Oromo. Orma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Hoskins...
Hachalu Hundessa (Oromo: Haacaaluu Hundeessaa Boonsaa; Amharic: ሃጫሉ ሁንዴሳ; 1986 – 29 June 2020) was an Ethiopian singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist...
broadcast in Amharic, official languages of Ethiopia. Some news segments are broadcast in other languages, such as Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, Afar, and English...
country speak Afroasiatic languages of the Cushitic or Semitic branches. The former includes the Oromolanguage, spoken by the Oromo, and Somali, spoken by...
It is an endangered language, with speakers migrating to the mainland adopting the Oromolanguage, and increasing use of Oromo by the younger generations...
Oromo people in the Horn of Africa. The word Waaqeffanna derives from the word Waaqa, is the ancient name for the Creator in the Cushitic languages of...
The Oromoid languages are a branch of Lowland East Cushitic languages that includes the most populous Cushitic language, Oromo, and the closely related...
Adama (Oromo: Adaamaa or Hadaamaa, Amharic: አዳማ), formerly Nazreth (Amharic: ናዝሬት), is a capital city of Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the East...
holiday celebrating the end of the winter in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The Oromo people celebrate Irreecha to thank Waaqa (God) for the blessings and mercies...
by dozens of singers in the Oromolanguage including the pop star Saiha Sami, and Desaligne Mersah in the Gurage language. He also arranged the popular...
Shewa (Amharic: ሸዋ; Oromo: Shawaa; Arabic: شيوا), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (Scioà in Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia...
April 1980) was an Oromo scholar, poet and religious teacher. He is best known as the inventor of a writing system for the Oromolanguage. Bakri Sapalo was...
surfaced in which Gibson was wearing a headscarf and speaking partially in Oromolanguage (referring to herself as "Sanbontu"), discussing the political situation...
Arsi (Oromo: Godina Arsii) is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo, who inhabit in the area. Arsi is bordered on the south...
Jawar Mohammed (Oromo: Jawaar Mahammad; ግእዝ፡ ጃዋር መሐመድ born 12 May 1986) is an Ethiopian political analyst and activist. One of the founders of the Oromia...
Global Information
Ethiopia[5]
Kenya