Kambaata

A language of Ethiopia

Donga, Kambara, Kambata, Kambatta, Kemata, Kembata

Kambaatissata

822,300, all users. L1 users: 743,000 (2007 census). 30,100 Donga, 97,800 Timbaro (2007 census). L2 users: 79,300. 330,500 monolinguals. Includes 279,000 Kambaata, 51,600 Timbaro. Ethnic population: 761,000 (2007 census). Includes 35,200 Donga, 98,600 Timbaro (2007 census).

Location

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region: southwest Gurage, Kambaata, and Hadiyya zones; Durame is main town.

Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification

Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East, Highland

Dialects

Tambaro, Timbaro (T’imbaaro, Timbaaro, Timbara, Timebaro). Lexical similarity: 95% between dialects, 81% with Alaba-Kabeena [alw], 62% with Sidamo [sid], 57% with Libido [liq], 56% with Hadiyya [hdy].

Typology

SOV; passive, middle, causative verbs; subject suffixes distinguish person, number, gender.

Language Use

Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 44%. Taught in primary and secondary schools through grade 4 and as subject thereafter. NT: 1992.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Kambaata

Writing

Ethiopic script [Ethi]. Latin script [Latn], primary usage.

Other Comments

Timbaro is now officially recognized as a seprate language in Ethiopia, although it is linguistically very close to Kambaata. Christian.