Burji language

Burji language (alternate names: Bembala, Bambala, Daashi) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by the Burji people who reside in Ethiopia south of Lake Chamo. There are over 49,000 speakers in Ethiopia, and a further 36,900 speakers in Kenya. Burji belongs to the Highland East Cushitic group of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.[1]

Burji
Native toEthiopia, Kenya
RegionSouth of Lake Chamo
Native speakers
83,300 (2007 & 2019 censuses)[1]
Ethiopic
Language codes
ISO 639-3bji
Glottologburj1242
ELPBurji

The language has the SOV (subject–object–verb) word order common to the Cushitic family. The verb morphology distinguishes passive and middle grammatical voice, as well as causative. Verbal suffixes mark the person, number, and gender of the subject.

The New Testament was published in the Burji language in 1993. A collection of Burji proverbs, translated into English, French, and Swahili, is available on the Web.[2]

Numerals 1-1000
  • 1. micha
  • 2. lama
  • 3. fadiya
  • 4. foola
  • 5. umutta
  • 6. liya
  • 7. lamala
  • 8. hiditta
  • 9. wonfa
  • 10. tanna
  • 11. Tannaya micha
  • 12. Tannaya lama
  • 13. Tannaya fadiya
  • 14. Tannaya foola
  • 15. Tannaya umutta
  • 16. Tannaya liya
  • 17. Tannaya lamala
  • 18. Tannaya hiditta
  • 19. Tannaya wonfa
  • 20. Lamattann
  • 30. Fadiitann
  • 40. Foolattan
  • 50. Umuttan
  • 60. Liittan
  • 70. Lamalattan
  • 80. Hidittan
  • 90. Wonfattan
  • 100. Ch'ibba.
  • 1,000. Kuma

Notes
  1. Burji at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access
  2. Angelique Chelo. 2016. A COLLECTION OF 100 BURJI PROVERBS AND WISE SAYINGS. Web Access

References
  • Amborn, Hermann, and Alexander Kellner. 1999. "Burji Vocabulary of Cultural Items. An Insight into Burji culture. Based on the field notes of Helmut Straube," Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere 58: 5-67.
  • Sasse, Hans-Jürgen. 1982. An Etymological Dictionary of Burji (Kuschitische Sprachstudien 1). Hamburg: Buske. ISBN 3871185612
  • Sasse, Hans-Jürgen and Helmut Straube. 1977. "Kultur und Sprache der Burji," Süd-Aethiopien: Ein Abriss, Zur Sprachgeschichte und Ethnohistorie in Afrika. Ed. Wilhelm J. G. Moehlig, Franz Rottland and Bernd Heine. Berlin. Pages 239–266.
  • Wedekind, Charlotte. 1985. "Burji verb morphology and morphophonemics," The verb morphophonemics of five highland east Cushitic languages, including Burji. Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere 2. Cologne: Institut für Afrikanistik. Pages 110–145.
  • Wedekind, Klaus. 1980. "Sidamo, Darasa (Gedeo), Burji: phonological differences and likenesses," Journal of Ethiopian Studies 14:131-176.


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