Dirasha language

Dirasha is a member of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. It is spoken in the Omo region of Ethiopia, in the hills west of Lake Chamo, around the town of Gidole.
A number of speakers also use Oromo or Konso. According to Wondwosen, the "Dirasha" is the name of the people, and the name of the language is given variously as "Dirashitata, Dirayta and Diraytata".
None of these names seem to be derogatory, but rather different ways of referring to the same language.
The Diraytata language is spoken by approximately 65,000 people, primarily in the Omo region of Ethiopia.
The language has a three ejective consonant phonemes and two implosive consonant phonemes, fitting the pattern of the Ethiopian Language Area. It has two tones and five vowels. Duration is distinctive for both consonants and vowels.

Phonology

Source:

Phonetic Inventory: Consonant IPA Symbols

Dirayta transcription utilizes symbols that differ from those of the traditional IPA chart. Each ejective may be written two ways.

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal
Plosive
Ejective
Implosive
Fricative
Affricate
Lateral
Flap
Glide

When /n/ and /ʔ/ occur as /nʔ/, they contract to form ŋ. /n/ and /ʔ/ must occur in that sequence, with no intervening vowels or consonants.

Phonetic Inventory: Vowel IPA Symbols

Low and High Tones

-Dirayta is a 2-tone language.
-Low Tone: Absence of accentual markings

Vowel	Sample Word: Dirayta	Sample Word: English Translation
i	hiip	local beer
e	meet	child
a	paas	cleaver
u	Could not locate example
o	Could not locate example
ɔ	Could not locate example

-High Tone: Represented by acute accent diacritic above vowel
-Mandatory for monosyllabic CVC and disyllabic CVC/CVVC words

Vowel	Sample Word: Dirayta	Sample Word: English Translation
í	Could not locate example
é	hén	five
á	káp	mouth
ú	Could not locate example
ó	pón	dry season
ɔ́	Could not locate example

-For disyllabic words, only one syllable may contain high tone.
-High tone is assigned to the first vowel within the initial syllable. However, high tone may be assigned to the first vowel within the ultimate syllable.

Vowel	Sample Word: Dirayta	Sample Word: English Translation
í	šíra ʃíra	liver
é	ʔérpa	lie
é	ʔéetot	evening meal
é	saytét	oil
é	waalét	long-necked calabash
á	párat	year
á	máakot	snake
ú	kúnɗa	fruit
ó	sóha	meat
ó	móohot	sky-god
ó	porrót	barley
ɔ́	Could not locate example

-For trisyllabic words, high tone is assigned to the ultimate syllable. However, high tone may be assigned to BOTH initial and ultimate syllables.

Vowel	Sample Word: Dirayta	Sample Word: English Translation
í	ɗímaʔmaʔ	rib-cage
é	mat'aatét	round white potato
á	káč̣erra	cloth
á	palawwát	type of bird
á, á	háwallát	type of dumpling
á, ó	k'áalalót ḳáalalót	thin ale-gruel
ú	mút'ura múṭura	heart
ú, é	k'úrt'ummét ḳúrṭummét	fish
ó	kópila	shield
ó, á	k'óhanát ḳóhanát	afternoon coffee session
ɔ́	Could not locate example

Grammar

Pluralization of Nouns

Pluralisation of nouns in Diraytata is a complex process that depends on several factors, such as the gender, number, case, and definiteness of the noun. According to Wondwosen, Diraytata has four genders: masculine, feminine, plural, and neuter. The plural gender is used for nouns that are inherently plural, such as body parts, liquids, and collective nouns. The neuter gender is used for nouns that are not classified as masculine, feminine, or plural. The number system of Diraytata distinguishes between singular, plural, and paucal. The singular is used for one entity, the plural is used for more than one entity, and the paucal is used for a few entities. The case system of Diraytata marks the grammatical function of the noun in the sentence, such as subject, object, or possessor. The definiteness system of Diraytata indicates whether the noun is specific or non-specific, known or unknown, or new or old information.
The pluralisation of nouns in Diraytata is achieved by adding suffixes to the noun stem. The suffixes vary according to the gender, case, and definiteness of the noun. Here are some examples of how nouns are pluralised in Diraytata:

Masculine nouns: The plural suffix for masculine nouns is -ool, which changes to -aal after a consonant. For example, the noun lúban 'lion' becomes lubanjool 'lions' in the plural. The paucal suffix for masculine nouns is -aa, which changes to -a after a consonant. For example, the noun lúban 'lion' becomes lubanjaa 'a few lions' in the paucal. The singular suffix for masculine nouns is -titi, which changes to -ti after a consonant. For example, the noun lúban 'lion' becomes lubantiti 'a/the particular lion' in the singular.
Feminine nouns: The plural suffix for feminine nouns is -oot, which changes to -at after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔámba 'breast' becomes ʔambatoot 'breasts' in the plural. The paucal suffix for feminine nouns is -aa, which changes to -a after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔámba 'breast' becomes ʔambataa 'a few breasts' in the paucal. The singular suffix for feminine nouns is -titi, which changes to -ti after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔámba 'breast' becomes ʔambatiti 'a/the particular breast' in the singular.
Plural nouns: The plural suffix for plural nouns is -ool, which does not change after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔíilla 'teeth' remains ʔíilla 'teeth' in the plural. The paucal suffix for plural nouns is -aa, which changes to -a after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔíilla 'teeth' becomes ʔillaa 'a few teeth' in the paucal. The singular suffix for plural nouns is -titi, which changes to -ti after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔíilla 'teeth' becomes ʔillati 'a/the particular tooth' in the singular.
Neuter nouns: The plural suffix for neuter nouns is -ool, which changes to -aal after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔóokka 'calf' becomes ʔookkaal 'calves' in the plural. The paucal suffix for neuter nouns is -aa, which changes to -a after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔóokka 'calf' becomes ʔookkaa 'a few calves' in the paucal. The singular suffix for neuter nouns is -titi, which changes to -ti after a consonant. For example, the noun ʔóokka 'calf' becomes ʔookkati 'a/the particular calf' in the singular.

The case and definiteness markers are added after the number suffixes. The case markers are -a for nominative, -i for accusative, -e for genitive, and -o for dative. The definiteness markers are -ta for definite and -ra for indefinite. For example, the noun lúban 'lion' can have the following forms in the plural:

lubanjool 'lions'
lubanjoolta 'the lions'
lubanjoolra 'some lions'
lubanjooli 'lions'
lubanjoolita 'the lions'
lubanjoolira 'some lions'
lubanjoolo 'to lions'
lubanjoolota 'to the lions'
lubanjoolora 'to some lions'
lubanjoolo 'of lions'
lubanjoolota 'of the lions'
lubanjoolora 'of some lions'
Inflection of Verbs based on the Tense, Aspect, and Mood

The Diraytata language inflects verbs based on tense, aspect, and mood by using a combination of prefixes, suffixes, and tone patterns. According to Wondwosen, Diraytata has three main tenses: past, present, and future. The past tense is marked by a low tone on the verb stem, the present tense is marked by a high tone on the verb stem, and the future tense is marked by a prefix ʔan- and a high tone on the verb stem. For example, the verb ʔáaf 'spread' has the following forms in the three tenses:

Past: ʔaaf 'spread'
Present: ʔáaf 'spread'
Future: ʔanáaf 'will spread'

The aspect system of Diraytata distinguishes between perfective and imperfective aspects. The perfective aspect indicates that the action is completed or viewed as a whole, while the imperfective aspect indicates that the action is ongoing or viewed as a part. The perfective aspect is marked by a suffix -i for singular subjects and -u for plural subjects. The imperfective aspect is marked by a suffix -a for singular subjects and -o for plural subjects. For example, the verb ʔáaf 'spread' has the following forms in the two aspects:

Perfective: ʔáaf-i 'spread', ʔáaf-u 'spread'
Imperfective: ʔáaf-a 'spreading', ʔáaf-o 'spreading'

The mood system of Diraytata expresses the speaker's attitude or modality towards the action. Diraytata has four main moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and conditional. The indicative mood is used for factual or neutral statements, the imperative mood is used for commands or requests, the subjunctive mood is used for wishes or hypothetical situations, and the conditional mood is used for conditional or hypothetical situations. The indicative mood is marked by a suffix -ti for singular subjects and -tu for plural subjects. The imperative mood is marked by a suffix -ta for singular subjects and -to for plural subjects. The subjunctive mood is marked by a suffix -te for singular subjects and -té for plural subjects. The conditional mood is marked by a suffix -tá for singular subjects and -tó for plural subjects. For example, the verb ʔáaf 'spread' has the following forms in the four moods:
The tense, aspect, and mood markers can be combined to form complex verb forms that express various temporal, aspectual, and modal meanings. For example, the verb ʔáaf 'spread' can have the following complex forms:

ʔaaf-i-ti 'spread'
ʔáaf-a-ta 'spreading'
ʔanáaf-u-te 'will spread'
ʔanáaf-o-tó 'will be spreading'