Borna

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A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639-3
bwo
Alternate Names
Bora, Borí noon, Bori Noona, Borni noon, Boro, Bworo, Dangabo, Gonga, Scinacia, Shinasha, Shinassha, Shinicho, Šinaša
Autonym
Borna
User Population

38,180, all users. L1 users: 35,900 (2007 census). L2 users: 2,280. 18,600 monolinguals. 77 Gamila. Ethnic population: 60,600 (2007 census).

Location

Benishangul-Gumuz region: Metekel zone, near Blue Nile river.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Afro-Asiatic, Omotic, North, Gonga-Gimojan, Gonga, North
Dialects

Wenbera-Dangur, Guba, Wambera. Scattered dialect groups. Lexical similarity: 46% with Shekkacho [moy].

Typology

SOV.

Language Use

Some young people, all adults. Used by all children in Dibat’e and Bulen and by most children in Dangur. Spoken by a minority of children in Wenbera; most speak Oromo [hae]. Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh]. Also use Oromo [orm].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 25% in Amharic [amh]. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Borna
Writing

Ethiopic script [Ethi], used until 2007. Latin script [Latn], used since 2007.