Wolaytta (Ometo)

Wolaytta is a North Omotic language spoken in the Wolaita Zone and some other parts of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region of Ethiopia by between 1.6 and 2 million people. The language is also known as Borodda, Ometo, Ualamo, Uba, Uollamo, Walamo, Wallamo, Welamo, Wellamo, Wolaita, Wolaitta, Wolataita, Wolayta and Wollamo.

Wolaytta was first written in the 1940s by a team of missionaries led by Dr. Bruce Adams. They translated the Bible into Wolaytta, finishing it in 2002. Other publications, including textbooks, have been published in Wolaytta.

Wolaytta alphabet and pronunciation

This is Wakasa's practical alphabet used in Motomichi Wakasa's 2008 Ph.D. thesis, A Descriptive Study of the Modern Wolaytta Language.

The sound written nh, a nasalized glottal fricative, is very rare and only appears in a few words. The sound written D is said by some scholars to be an implosive, but Wakasa calls it glottalized.

Sample videos in Wolyatta

Information about Wolyatta | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about the Wolaytta language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolaytta_language
http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=wal

Omotic languages

Aari, Bambassi, Bench, Dizin, Hamer(-Banna), Sheko, Wolaytta

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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