Page Type: languageOpo | Ethnologue

LGN ISO 639-3

Opo

T’apo, T’azita Autonym

A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639
lgn
Alternate Names
Ansita, Ciita, Cita, Kina, Kwina, Opo-Shita, Opuo, Opuuo, Po, Shiita, Shita, T’ap’o, Tʼashita, Upo, Zita, “Langa” (pej.)
Autonym
T’apo, T’azita
Population
5,000 in Ethiopia (2014). Most are monolingual. Community self-reports population up to 20,000. Total users in all countries: 20,000.
Location:
Gambela region: Sudan border area, 5 villages. Gambela region: Wanke and Langkwe villages; also in the Akula refugee camps (Bilugu dialect); Gambela region: Mera and Atuch (Atus) (Modin dialect).
Language Status
6a (Vigorous).
Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Core, Koman
Dialects
Modin, Bilugu. Lexical similarity: 24% with Komo [xom]. Significant differences between Ethiopian and South Sudanese dialects (Smolders 2019).
Typology
SVO; tonal; bound pronominal markers on verb stem mark core arguments; pluractionality in verb system; finite negative verbs; body-part particles as verbal classifiers; verbal directional suffixes; associated motion with directional suffixes on non-motion verbs; N-N associative construction; three levels of deictic distance; non-human nouns exhibit general number, human kinship terms exhibit inflectional number, all other human nouns exhibit derived number, including participant nominalizing derivational prefixes (masc., fem., plural., non-human) (Smolders 2019).
Language Use
All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh]. Also use Anuak [anu], as common L2. Also use Nuer [nus]. Also use Sudanese Spoken Arabic [apd].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 36%. Literacy development and education underway, but no standardization (2018 J. Smolders).
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Opo
Writing
Latin script [Latn], unofficial usage.
Other Comments
Traditional religion, Christian.

Also Spoken in

Language Name
Opo
User Population
15,000 in South Sudan (2019). Self-reported estimate by language community.
Location
Upper Nile state: Longachuk county, Daga river area, Dajo district (Dana dialect), Paitath (Paytet) district (Bikol dialect), and Katen district (Pilakoy dialect); Maiwut and Nasir counties, Kigile district (Kigile dialect) and Maiwut district (Pame dialect).
Dialects
Dana (Barun, Baruun, Buldiit, Buldit), Kigile (Kusgilo), Pame, Bikol, Pilakoy.
Language Status
6a (Vigorous)
Other Comments
Traditional religion.
View other languages of South Sudan

Map

Location: Gambela region: Sudan border area, 5 villages. Gambela region: Wanke and Langkwe villages; also in the Akula refugee camps (Bilugu dialect); Gambela region: Mera and Atuch (Atus) (Modin dialect).