Abstract
Among the most important linguistic developments in Ethiopia since 1991, the development of written forms for many languages that did not have orthographies before has been one. By far the most diverse region in terms of the number of languages spoken is the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS). This paper deals with the pan-dialectal orthography designed for Wolaitta, Gamo, Gofa and Dawuro (WOGAGODA here after), closely related speech varieties spoken in a contiguous territory within the SNNPRS. The orthography has been designed by a team of local experts who comprises of the four groups and has been put to use since February, 2003. The orthography follows the Alphabetic writing system and makes use of an extended version of the Latin script. Among the various limitations the orthography exhibits, over-representation and under-representation of the phonemic inventory of WOGAGODA is one. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to examine the orthography under concern particularly from the point of phoneme-grapheme relationship, irregularity in symbolizing phonemic features and problems associated with diagraphs, etc. Further, the study tries to look at reading difficulties arising from the interference of readers’ knowledge of the English orthography in using the WOGAGODA orthography and vice versa. The two languages use the same writing system but not always the same conventions of sound-grapheme relationship. The paper suggests ways of developing a simpler, more systematic, and unified alphabet that is also more harmonious with the English Alphabet. Key words: Orthography, script, phoneme, grapheme, diagraph, representation
Highlights
Ethiopia is a country that has more than 85 languages grouped by linguists into Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic of theAfro-asiatic and Nilo-Saharan Phyla
The main objectives of this paper were to examine this orthography against the phonemic inventories of the dialects, identify its shortcomings, and suggest ways of improving it
The orthography formulated for Wolaitta, Gamo, Gofa and Dawuro employs the Alphabetic Writing System with an extended version of the Latin Script
Summary
Ethiopia is a country that has more than 85 languages grouped by linguists into Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic of theAfro-asiatic and Nilo-Saharan Phyla. Ethiopia is a country that has more than 85 languages grouped by linguists into Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic of the. Geez, Amharic and Tigrigna were the only written languages that had a shared orthography. Amharic enjoyed a privileged position as the only official language and medium of instruction in the Education sector. Since 1991, the country has undergone major political changes that had farreaching implications for language policy and language use. Regional governments that were mostly organized along ethnic lines have been set up and empowered to govern their respective regions and work towards the development of local cultures, including the development of local languages
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