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Koman languages
Where are Koman languages spoken ?
Koman languages are spoken at the frontier between Ethiopia and Sudan.
Total number of speakers (estimates)
Between 50 000 and 210 000, depending on the classification, according to SIL’s ethnologue.
Classification:
This group has 4 or 5 active languages.
Isolate:
Uomuz : 160 000 speakers according to SIL
Koman Group : 50 000 speakers for the whole group according to SIL
Uduk (alternative name: t’wampa)
Kwama
Komo
Opuuo (alternative name: shita)
Gule : extinct
Comments on the classification
We have based our classification on the work of Dimmendaal (2008) and Wikipedia.
For long, these languages were put in the Nilo-Saharan group, but the lack of linguistic evidence means that this classification is generally no longer supported. Dimmendaal considers that they form a group in themselves.
Dimmendaal states, in addition, that the affiliation of Gumuz to Koman languages is controversial.
Are Koman languages endangered?
Yes, apart from Gomuz, the vitality of which is apparently not threatened. Gule disappeared at the end of the 20th century and Oppuo is on the verge of becoming extinct. Kwama and Komo are also endangered.
Ethnographic elements
This section will be developed subsequently.
Linguistic details
This section will be developed subsequently.
Sources
Gerrit Dimmendaal, 2008. “Language Ecology and Linguistic Diversity on the African Continent”, Language and Linguistics Compass 2/5
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