Sheko language


Sheko is an Omotic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken in the area between Tepi and Mizan Teferi in western Ethiopia, in the Sheko district in the Bench Maji Zone. The 2007 census lists 38,911 speakers; the 1998 census listed 23,785 speakers, with 13,611 identified as monolinguals.
Sheko, together with the Dizi and Nayi languages, is part of a cluster of languages variously called "Maji" or "Dizoid".
The language is notable for its retroflex consonants, a striking feature shared with closely related Dizi and nearby Bench.

Phonology

Apart from the above-mentioned retroflex consonants, the phonology of Sheko is characterized by a total 28 consonant phonemes, five long vowels and six short vowels, plus four phonemic tone levels.

Consonants

Hellenthal lists the following consonant phonemes of Sheko:
Unlike other Dizoid languages, Sheko has no contrast between and. Consonants are rarely geminated, and there is a syllabic nasal.

Vowels

Hellenthal lists the following long and short vowels of Sheko:,,, ,,,,,,.

Tones

Sheko is one of very few languages in Africa that have four distinct phonemic tone levels. Tone distinguishes meaning both in the lexicon and in the grammar, particularly to distinguish persons in the pronominal system.

Grammar

Ethnologue lists the following morphosyntactic features: "SOV; postpositions; genitives, articles, adjectives, numerals, relatives after noun heads; question word initial; 1 prefix, 5 suffixes; word order distinguishes subjects, objects, indirect objects; affixes indicate case of noun phrases; verb affixes mark person, number, gender of subject; passives, causatives, comparatives."