Melo

A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639-3

Alternate Names

Malo

Population

20,200 (1994 census). 13,700 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 20,200 (1994 census).

Location

Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), North Omo zone, Malo-Koza area, northeast of Basketo [bst] language area.

Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification

Dialects

Related to Gamo [gmv], Gofa [gof] and Dawro [dwr]. Lexical similarity: 70% with the majority of Ometo language varieties.

Language Use

4,657 L2 speakers.

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 10%.

Language Resources

Writing

Unwritten.