Burji language
Burji language (alternate names: Bembala, Bambala, Daashi) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by the Burji people who reside in Ethiopia south of Lake Chamo. There are over 49,000 speakers in Ethiopia, and a further 36,900 speakers in Kenya. Burji belongs to the Highland East Cushitic group of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.
| Burji | |
|---|---|
| ቡረጊ (Burji) | |
| Native to | Ethiopia, Kenya |
| Region | South of Lake Chamo |
| Ethnicity | Burji people |
Native speakers | 83,000 (2007 & 2019 censuses) |
Writing system | Geʽez Latin |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bji |
| Glottolog | burj1242 |
| ELP | Burji |
The language has the SOV (subject–object–verb) word order common to the Cushitic family. The verb morphology distinguishes passive and middle grammatical voice, as well as causative. Verbal suffixes mark the person, number, and gender of the subject.
The New Testament was published in the Burji language in 1993. A collection of Burji proverbs, translated into English, French, and Swahili, is available on the Web.