Linguistic Variation within Sidaama

Abstract

Sidaama, which also designates an ethnic group that speaks the language, is a member of the Highland East Cushitic languages of Ethiopia. So far there has been no empirical study regarding linguistic variation within Sidaama. This article provides descriptive account of linguistic diversity within Sidaama. The study used both qualitative and quantitative data to answer the research questions. The data for the study were collected from four sample areas; namely, Harbegona, Dara, Shebedino and Lokkaabaya districts. A total of 32 native speakers of Sidamuafoo, eight from each sample area, were used as key informants.  A total of 205 lexical items were elicited following Swadesh word lists as a guide. These lexical items were phonemically transcribed and then analyzed using Cog1.3.1 lexicostatistics software to determine the linguistic similarity and difference across the sampled areas. Thematic comparison was also made to trace other linguistic similarities. Both UPGMA and neighbor joining[3] analysis showed that the language exhibits between 80%-88% similarity across the varieties. This implies that the language is significantly homogeneous, and intelligibility level is relatively high, with the risk of only 12%-20% of misunderstanding. However, this same analysis showed that there are two possible dialect areas: Dara-Harbegona on one side and Shebedino-Lokkaabaya on the other.  In addition to the lexical variations, there are a few morphological areal differences. It is the researchers’ presumption that the current mother tongue education program, the Sidaama language use in media, and the language standardization efforts made may harmonize the variation, and reduce the existing areal differences.