Latin taught in schools[1] and Ethiopic script used by adults
Official status
Official language in
Wolaita Zone
Language codes
ISO 639-2
wal
ISO 639-3
wal
Glottolog
wola1242
Wolaitta or Wolayttatto Doonaa is a North Omotic language of the Ometo group spoken in the Wolayita Zone and some other parts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia. It is the native language of the Welayta people.[1] The estimates of the population vary greatly because it is not agreed where the boundaries of the language are.
There are conflicting claims about how widely Wolaytta is spoken. Some hold that Melo, Oyda, and Gamo-Gofa-Dawro are also dialects, but most sources, including Ethnologue and ISO 639-3 now list these as separate languages. The different communities of speakers also recognize them as separate languages.[2] A variety called Laha is said to be 'close' to Wolaytta in Hayward (1990) but listed as a distinct language by Blench; however, it is not included in Ethnologue.
Wolaytta has existed in written form since the 1940s, when the Sudan Interior Mission first devised a system for writing it. The writing system was later revised by a team led by Dr. Bruce Adams. They finished the New Testament in 1981 and the entire Bible in 2002. It was one of the first languages the Derg selected for their literacy campaign (1979–1991), before any other southern languages. Welaytta pride in their written language led to a fiercely hostile response in 1998 when the Ethiopian government distributed textbooks written in Wegagoda – an artificial language based on amalgamating Wolaytta with several closely related languages. As a result the textbooks in Wegagoda were withdrawn and teachers returned to ones in Wolaytta.[3]
In speaking their language, the Wolaytta people use many proverbs. A large collection of them, in Ethiopian script, was published in 1987 (Ethiopian calendar)[A] by the Academy of Ethiopian Languages.[5] Fikre Alemayehu's 2012 MA thesis from Addis Ababa University provides an analysis of Wolaytta proverbs and their functions.[6]
^ abcdeWolaitta at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
^Abebe 2002
^Sarah Vaughan, "Ethnicity and Power in Ethiopia" Archived 2011-08-13 at the Wayback Machine (University of Edinburgh: Ph.D. Thesis, 2003), pp. 250-258
^"Ethiopian – Calendar Converter". www.calendar-converter.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
^"Good Amharic Books | Welcome!". Archived from the original on 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
^"An analysis of Wolayta proverbs: Function in focus" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-09-18.
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Wolaitta or Wolayttatto Doonaa is a North Omotic language of the Ometo group spoken in the Wolayita Zone and some other parts of the Southern Nations...
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unsuitable for languages outside of the Semitic branch. In the following years the Kafa, Oromo, Sidama, Somali, and Wolaittalanguages switched to Latin...
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Ogato Sana, also known as Kawo Sana Ogato in the Wolaittalanguage, was one of the most renowned kings of the Tigre dynasty along with the Kingdom of...
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additional North Ometo languages, and lists Chara as unclassified within the family. North: Misketto (Basketto), Dokka, Doko-Dolo, Wolaitta (Welamo), Zala, Oyda...
gospel singer and preacher, album which is entitled "Halo Bado", Wolaittalanguage, successfully in 2004. Following this, he started to compose music...
Zargulla and Wolaitta peoples, whose languages belong to the Omotic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. In 2007, her research on language endangerment...
or Ta-Ne Omotic languages, are a group of languages spoken in Ethiopia. Glottolog considers Ta-Ne-Omotic to be an independent language family, whereas...
of Panom. On 9 February 2021, Panom returned to Ethiopia and signed for Wolaitta Dicha. In January 2014, coach Sewnet Bishaw, invited him to be a part of...
based learning (ABL) by employing ICT, Science Laboratories & STEM center. Wolaitta Liqa School also provides boarding service for both WODA beneficiary &...
Wolaita may refer to: Wolayta people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia Wolaytta language, spoken by the Welayta people Wolayita Zone, a zone in SNNPR, Ethiopia...
SNNPR's Bureau of Finance and Economic Development, as of 2003[update] Wolaitta Dicha S.C. is an Ethiopian football club based in Sodo. The club now is...
group tends to be associated with shared ancestry, history, homeland, language or dialect and cultural heritage; where the term "culture" specifically...
Google Books" I.B.Tauris, 2002. p. 365. Balisky, E. (September 2009). Wolaitta Evangelists: A Study of Religious Innovation in Southern Ethiopia, 1937-1975...
Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology. 2003, 18–19. Balisky, Paul E. Wolaitta Evangelists: A Study of Religious Innovations in Southern Ethiopia, 1937–1975...
the state include Amharic (6.83%), Tigrinnya (1.06%), Argobba (0.79%), Wolaitta (0.43%), and Oromifa (0.4%). According to the CSA, as of 2004[update],...
Wolaita (Traditionally) c. 1251–1896 Capital Lasho, Dalbo Sodo Common languagesWolaitta Religion Officially Christianity Government Monarchy Kawo (transl...
Wolaitta Dicha S.C. is an Ethiopian football club based in Sodo. The club was established in 2009 by the Welayta Development Association. Wolaitta Dicha...
Apps (Gls) 2002–2004 Arba Minch City 2004–2018 Saint George 2019–2023 Wolaitta Dicha 71 (3) International career‡ 2003–2014 Ethiopia 51 (0) *Club domestic...
the Ethiopia national team. Meleyo began his professional career with Wolaitta Dicha and made his debut in the 2015–16 Ethiopian Premier League season...
Church Mekane Yesus (New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1987). E. Paul Balisky, "Wolaitta Evangelists: A Study of Religious Innovation in Southern Ethiopia, 1936-1975"...
opened multiple regional stations and channels broadcasting in various languages. Privatization of the television industry was a slow process with the...
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