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Ongota

Birale

Critically endangeredLanguage isolate (Cushitic or Omotic affiliation disputed)EthiopiaFewer than a dozen fluent speakers0 documented words

Ongota is spoken in a single village on the Weyt'o River in southern Ethiopia. The community is shifting to the neighbouring Cushitic language Ts'amakko, and only a few elderly speakers remain. Its genealogical classification is still unresolved.

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Ongota — English word list

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History and language shift

Ongota belongs to one of Africa's smallest ethnic groups. Its classification has been debated for decades: proposals place it within Cushitic, within Omotic, or treat it as an isolate with heavy Ts'amakko influence.

Revitalization

Documentation by Graziano Sava and Mauro Tosco remains the main scholarly record. Community language use is largely ceremonial.