The Opuo (Opuuo, Opo) language, or Tʼapo, is a
Koman language
The Koman languages are a small close-knit family of languages located along the Ethiopia–Sudan border with about 50,000 speakers. They are conventionally classified as part of the Nilo-Saharan family. However, due to the paucity of evidence, ...
spoken by the
Opo people
Opo is an ethnic group of South Sudan and Ethiopia. They speak Opuuo, a Koman language. Most members of this ethnic group are not Muslims.
The 2007 Census of Ethiopia lists 1,602 individuals as Upo (413 in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
and
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...
. It has a lexical similarity of 24% with
Komo. The language is also called Opo-Shita, Opo, Opuo, Cita, Ciita, Shita (along with
Dana
Dana may refer to:
People Given name
* Dana (given name)
Surname
* Dana (surname)
* Dana family of Cambridge, Massachusetts
** James Dwight Dana (1813–1895), scientist, zoological author abbreviation Dana
Nickname or stage name
* Dan ...
), Shiita, Ansita, Kina, and Kwina. The self-name for the language is Tʼapo. "Langa" is a derogatory term for its speakers used by the
Anuak.
[
Ethiopian speakers live in five villages along the South Sudan border north of the Anuak and ]Nuer Nuer may refer to:
* Nuer people
* Nuer language
The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gambela) ...
, and its South Sudanese in Upper Nile State
Upper Nile is a state in South Sudan. The White Nile flowes through the state, giving it its name. The state also shares a similar name with the region of Greater Upper Nile, of which it was part along with the states of Unity and Jonglei. It h ...
, around Kigille and Maiwut
Maiwut is a city in Maiwut County in Upper Nile, South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
;[ however, of the 286 speakers the 1994 Ethiopian Census records, 183 are in the ]Oromia Region
Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa.
It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar ...
(mostly in the Mirab Shewa Zone
West Shewa Zone ( om, Shawaa Lixaa/Dhihaa) is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. West Shewa is bordered on the south by the Southwest Shewa Zone and the Southern Nations, Na ...
), 32 in the , and less than ten in either of the Regions closest to South Sudan."The 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia"
(accessed 31 January 2009)
References
Languages of Ethiopia
Languages of South Sudan
Koman languages
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