Majang

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A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639-3
mpe
Alternate Names
Ato, Ato Majang, Ato Majanger-Onk, Majanjiro, Masango, Masongo, Mejenger, Mesengo, Messengo, Mezhenger, Ojanjur, Tama
Autonym
Ato Majangerongk
User Population

30,000 (Joswig 2019).

Location

Gambela and Oromia regions; Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region: a long, narrow belt east of Gambela, and south of Guraferda.

Language Maps
Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Core, Eastern Sudanic, Southern (n languages), Surmic, North, Majang
Dialects

Minor dialect variation.

Typology

VSO; genitives, articles, adjectives, numerals, relatives after noun heads; question words final; suffixes indicate number and case; impersonal verbs; reciprocal verb forms; verb affixes mark person, number; split ergativity marking with split based on topicality; topical constituents either nominative or absolutive, non-topical constituents either ergative or absolutive; complex syllable patterns; tonal.

Language Use

Also use Amharic [amh]. Used as L2 by Shabo [sbf].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 21%. Taught in primary schools in the early grades in Gambela state. NT: 2017.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Majang
Writing

Ethiopic script [Ethi], used until 1990s. Latin script [Latn], official in Gambela Region.

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian.