Page Type: languageMe’en | Ethnologue

MYM ISO 639-3

Me’en

Mɛʼɛnɛn‎ (Me’enen) Autonym

A language of Ethiopia

ISO 639
mym
Alternate Names
Me’enite, Mekan, Mela, Men, Meqan, Mie’en, Mieken, Suro, “Teshenna” (pej.), “Teshina” (pej.), “Tishana” (pej.), “Tishena” (pej.)
Autonym
Mɛʼɛnɛn‎ (Me’enen)
Population
157,300, all users. L1 users: 151,000 (2007 census), increasing. Includes 5,770 Bodi (2010 UNSD). L2 users: 6,300. 143,000 monolinguals. Ethnic population: 157,000 (2007 census). Includes 6,980 Bodi (2007 census).
Location:
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region: Bench-Maji zone; highlanders (Banio dialect) in Bachuma area; lowlanders (Koruwo dialect) south; Bodi near Omo river.
Language Status
4 (Educational).
Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Core, Eastern Sudanic, Southern (n languages), Surmic, South, Southeast, Pastoral, Me’en
Dialects
Banio, Bodi (Mela, Podi), Koruwo. Lexical similarity: 65% with Tirmaga-Chai Suri [suq], 30% with Murle [mur]. Lexical differences between highland and lowland.
Typology
SVO; postpositions; genitives, adjective, articles, and relatives follow noun heads; question word final; prefixes and suffixes; verbs inflected; tonal.
Language Use
All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Amharic [amh], in education and for reading the Bible. Used as L2 by Kwegu [xwg].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 4%. Literates increasing. Kindergarten and adult literacy programs using Me’en as medium of instruction are piloted (2021 SIL). Taught in primary schools as medium of instruction for grades 1–4. Taught as a subject in grades 5–6, with grade 7 materials being developed. Literature. Bible portions: 2008–2010.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Me’en
Writing
Ethiopic script [Ethi], used until 2009. Latin script [Latn], used since 2009, primary usage.
Other Comments
Traditional religion.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region: Bench-Maji zone; highlanders (Banio dialect) in Bachuma area; lowlanders (Koruwo dialect) south; Bodi near Omo river.