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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Eritrea > Kunama

Kunama

A language of Eritrea

ISO 639-3: kun

Population  187,000 in Eritrea (2006). 1,000 in Ilit, 600 in Odasa. Population total all countries: 188,880.
Region  West, Gash and Setit rivers, Sudan border and into Tigray Province. Barka south of Barentu; Marda north, northeast, and east of Barentu and in Barentu; Aimara west of Barentu; Laki-Tukura south of Aimara, west of Barka; Tika south of Laki-Tukura, west of Barka. Also in Ethiopia.
Language map  Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, reference number 48
Alternate names   Baada, Baaden, Baaza, Baazayn, Baazen, Bada, Baden, Baza, Bazen, Cunama, Diila
Dialects  Barka (Berka), Marda, Aimara (Aaimasa, Aymasa, Odasa), Tika (Tiika, Lakatakura-Tika), Ilit (Iliit, Iiliit, Iilit), Bitama (Bitaama), Sokodasa (Sogodas, Sogadas), Takazze-Setiit (Setiit, Setit), Tigray. Bitama and Ilit are nearly unintelligible to other Kunama dialect speakers. Barka is the largest dialect and intelligible to speakers of all others.
Classification  Nilo-Saharan, Kunama
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: Low. NT: 1927–2004.
Writing system  Latin script.
Comments  Laka-Takura and Tika have been influenced by Arab culture and by the Beni-Amer. SOV; postpositions; case suffixes. Agriculturalists: sorghum, millet, sesame; animal husbandry: cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, poultry. Traditional religion, Muslim (Ilit, Bitama).

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

ABRAHA, John; BARIAGHABER, Tesfai; BEYED, Sullus; HAMMADU, Osman; MAHMUD, Saleh; MOHAMMED, Ibrahim; TECLEMARIAM, Daniel; WEDEKIND, Charlotte; WEDEKIND, Klaus, authors. 1997. Eritrea Dialect Survey (December 1996-May 1997) Report.

ABRAHA, John; WEDEKIND, Klaus, authors. 1998. Review of: Kunama, by Lionel M. Bender.

ABUSHUSH, Dawd Adem; ASHKABA, John Abraha; AWED, Sulus Beyed; DAVIS, Patricia M.; GHEBREMEDHIN, Tesfai Bariagaber; HAMMADU, Osman; HOATSON, Kristen; HOATSON, Todd; IDRIS, Saleh Mahmud; MOHAMMED, Ibrahim; OKBATSION, Solomon Berhane; OSMAN ALI, Mohammed; TEKRURAY, Daniel Teclemariam; WALTER, Stephen L., authors. 2005. Eritrea national reading survey, September 2002.