The Berta languages, or Funj, traditionally considered dialects of a single language, are
Gebeto (Berta proper),
Fadashi, and
Undu. They are either a small family (or
language isolate
A language isolate is a language that has no demonstrable genetic relationship with any other languages. Basque in Europe, Ainu and Burushaski in Asia, Sandawe in Africa, Haida and Zuni in North America, Kanoê in South America, and Tiwi ...
) of their own, or a primary branch of the
Nilo-Saharan
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of around 210 African languages spoken by somewhere around 70 million speakers, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers, including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributari ...
language family.
Berta has the typical word order
subject–verb–object. It is a
tonal language. It has significantly influenced some of the
Eastern Jebel languages
The Eastern Jebel languages are a small subfamily belonging to the Eastern Sudanic languages, Eastern Sudanic subgroup of Nilo-Saharan languages, Nilo-Saharan. They are spoken in the hills of An Nil al Azraq province in eastern Sudan (the name "J ...
. The Arabic name "Beni-Shangul" (as in the Ethiopian province of
Benishangul-Gumuz) derives from a Berta expression (with ''bele'' "rock/stone" misanalyzed as Arabic ''beni'' "sons").
Varieties
Bremer (2016) surveys the following 6 varieties of Berta, providing word lists for them as well. Geographical information is from Bremer (2016:2–3). With the exception of Metehara, all surveyed Berta varieties are spoken in the
Benishangul-Gumuz Region
Benishangul-Gumuz () is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Er ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. There is very little data for Berta varieties spoken in
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
.
*
Maiyu, the most prestigious and also the most innovative Berta variety, is spoken in and around
Asosa
Asosa or Assosa is the capital of Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia. Located in the Asosa Zone, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 1,570 meters.
History
According to the Dutch explorer Juan Maria Schuver, who vi ...
and
Kurmuk, along the
border with Sudan.
*
Fadashi is spoken in and around
Bambasi.
*
Undulu is spoken in and around
Undulu.
*Beleje Gonfoye, the most conservative dialect, is isolated from other Berta communities, as it is located much further to the southeast than the other Berta varieties. It is called Gebeto by Fleming (1960, 1974; as cited in Bender 1989
[Bender, M. Lionel. 1989. Berta Lexicon. In ''Topics in Nilo-Saharan linguistics'' 271–304. Hamburg: H. Buske.]). Due to the similarities with Wabosh, they may have ultimately came from the Wabosh community in
Daleti. There are several hundred speakers of this variety, which is spoken in Fwafwate and surrounding areas of the Didessa Valley.
*Wabosh is closely related to Beleje Gonfoye, and is spoken in
Daleti.
*Metehara is spoken just to the east of
Awash National Park
Awash National Park is a National parks in Ethiopia, national park in Ethiopia. Located at the border of Oromia state and Afar Region, Afar state, the park covers an area of 827 square kilometers, most of it lies at an altitude of 900 meters. ...
in
Oromia
Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
.
See also
*
Berta word lists (Wiktionary)
References
Roger Blench
Languages of Ethiopia
Tonal languages
Language families
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