Page Type: languageBorna | Ethnologue

BWO ISO 639-3

Borna

Borna Autonym

A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639
bwo
Alternate Names
Bora, Borí noon, Bori Noona, Borni noon, Boro, Bworo, Dangabo, Gonga, Scinacia, Shinasha, Shinassha, Shinicho, Šinaša
Autonym
Borna
Population
38,180, all users. L1 users: 35,900 (2007 census). L2 users: 2,280. 18,600 monolinguals. 77 Gamila. Ethnic population: 60,600 (2007 census).
Location:
Benishangul-Gumuz region: Metekel zone, near Blue Nile river.
Language Status
6b (Threatened).
Classification
Afro-Asiatic, Omotic, North, Gonga-Gimojan, Gonga, North
Dialects
Wenbera-Dangur, Guba, Wambera. Scattered dialect groups. Lexical similarity: 46% with Shekkacho [moy].
Typology
SOV.
Language Use
Some young people, all adults. Used by all children in Dibat’e and Bulen and by most children in Dangur. Spoken by a minority of children in Wenbera; most speak Oromo [hae]. Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh]. Also use Oromo [orm].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 25% in Amharic [amh]. Taught in primary schools in grades 1–4 first cycle as medium of instruction; in grades 1–4 second cycle as subject. Taught in secondary schools in grades 5–10 as subject. Grade 11 mother tongue subject ready to be implemented 2020. Also taught in Gilgel Beles teachers training college. Taught as a subject in Asosa University. Radio. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Borna
Writing
Ethiopic script [Ethi], used until 2007. Latin script [Latn], used since 2007.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Benishangul-Gumuz region: Metekel zone, near Blue Nile river.