Yemsa language
Encyclopedia
Yemsa is the language of the Yem
people of the former Kingdom of Yamma
, known as Kingdom of Janjero
to the Amhara
. It is a member of the Omotic group of languages, most closely related to Kaffa. It is distinctive in having a several levels of lexicon contingent on social hierarchy, rather like Japanese
and Javanese
. The estimated number of speakers varies wildly from about 1000 (Bender,1976) to half a million (Aklilu, 1993).
Fuga dialect is distinct enough to perhaps be a different language.
Yem people
The Yem are an ethnic group living in south-western Ethiopia. They are also called by their neighbors as the Janjero, but the Yem consider this exonym derogatory, since it sounds similar to the Amharic word "zinjero" which means "monkey". Their native language is Yemsa, one of the Omotic languages,...
people of the former Kingdom of Yamma
Kingdom of Janjero
The Kingdom of Janjero was a tiny kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma and to the south the Kingdom of Garo...
, known as Kingdom of Janjero
Kingdom of Janjero
The Kingdom of Janjero was a tiny kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma and to the south the Kingdom of Garo...
to the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
. It is a member of the Omotic group of languages, most closely related to Kaffa. It is distinctive in having a several levels of lexicon contingent on social hierarchy, rather like Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
. The estimated number of speakers varies wildly from about 1000 (Bender,1976) to half a million (Aklilu, 1993).
Fuga dialect is distinct enough to perhaps be a different language.
External links
- EthnologueEthnologueEthnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
information on Yemsa - World Atlas of Language StructuresWorld Atlas of Language StructuresThe World Atlas of Language Structures is a database of structural properties of languages gathered from descriptive materials. It was first published by Oxford University Press as a book with CD-ROM in 2005, and was released as the second edition on the Internet in April 2008...
information on Yemsa