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Wolaytta

A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639-3: wal

Population	1,230,000 (1994 census). 999,694 monolinguals.
Region	Wolaytta region, Lake Abaya area.
Language map	Southwestern Ethiopia, reference number 84
Alternate names	Borodda, Ometo, Ualamo, Uba, Uollamo, Walamo, Wallamo, Welamo, Wellamo, Wolaita, Wolaitta, Wolataita, Wolayta, Wollamo
Dialects	Zala. Dorze [doz], Melo [mfx], Oyda [oyd] may be dialects of Wolaytta [wal] or of Gamo-Gofa-Dawro [gmo]. Lexical similarity: 79%–93% with Gamo-Gofa-Dawro, 84% with the Gofa dialect of Gamo-Gofa-Dawro, 80% with the Dawro dialect of Gamo-Gofa-Dawro and Dorze, 48% with Koorete [kqy], 43% with Male [mdy].
Classification	Afro-Asiatic, Omotic, North, Gonga-Gimojan, Gimojan, Ometo-Gimira, Ometo, Central
Language use	89,801 L2 speakers.
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: 1%–5%. Literacy rate in L2: 30%. NT: 1981.
Writing system	Ethiopic script.
Comments	Geographic names: Balta, Borodda, Ganta, Otschollo, Uba. SOV. Traditional religion, Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

ABEBE, Alemayehu, author. 2002. "Ometo dialect pilot survey report."  

ABEBE, Alemayehu, author. 2002. "Sociolinguistic survey report on the Ometo dialect of Ethiopia, part II."  

ADAMS, Bruce, author. 1972. A Wolaamo fable: The editing of oral literature.

GIRARD, Tim, author. 2002. "Lexico-phonostatistical analysis of Alemayehu Abebe’s Ometo word lists."