The Opuuo language is a Nilo-Saharan language

Nilo-Saharan languages

The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...

 spoken by the Shita

Shita

Shita is an ethnic group of South Sudan and Ethiopia. They speak Opuuo, a Nilo-Saharan language. Most members of this ethnic group are not Muslims....

 of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 and South Sudan

South Sudan

South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...

. It is a member of the Koman languages, and has a lexical similarity of 24% with Komo

Komo language

The Komo language is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Komo people of Ethiopia, Sudan and Southern Sudan. It is a member of the Koman languages. The language is also called Madiin, Koma, South Koma, Central Koma and Hayahaya.- Further reading :...

. The language is also called Opo-Shita, Opo, Opuo, Cita, Ciita, Shita, Shiita, Ansita, Kina, and Kwina. "Langa" is a derogatory term for its speakers used by the Anuak.

The Ethnologue entry states that its native Ethiopian speakers live in five villages along the South Sudan border north of the Anuak and Nuer, and its South Sudanese in Upper Nile State, around Kigille and Maiwut

Maiwut

Maiwut is a county in Upper Nile, South Sudan. The name 'Maiwut' is also being shared by the City of Maiwut; the administrative council of county Payams and Bomas...

; however, of the 286 speakers the 1994 Ethiopian Census records, 183 are in the Oromia Region

Oromia Region

Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...

 (mostly in the Mirab Shewa Zone

Mirab Shewa Zone

Mirab Shewa is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa...

), 32 in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...

, and less than ten in either of the Regions closest to South Sudan.

External links

• "Map of the Opuuo language", LL-Map website