Bussa (or Muusiye) is a Lowland East Cushitic language spoken in the Dirashe region in the South West of Ethiopia. The people themselves, numbering 6,624 according to the 1998 census, call their language Mossittaata. Two varieties can be distinguished: North and West Bussa. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ityopiya, Amharic ኢትዮጵያ) is a country situated in the Horn of Africa. ...

Bussa is highly influenced by surrounding Cushitic and Omotic languages and should be considered endangered according to Gurmu (2005). Speakers of the North Bussa variety are shifting to Oromo, Kidole (Diraytata) or Amharic, whereas speakers of the West Bussa variety are shifting to the Omotic languages Zargulla, Zayse and Gamo. Important factors for the ongoing language shift include intermarriage with other ethnic groups and heavy contact with neighbouring people. The Cushitic languages are a subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic languages phylum, named after the Biblical figure Cush by analogy with Semitic. ... The Omotic languages are Afro-Asiatic languages spoken in northeast Africa. ... The Oromo language is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic sub-phylum. ... Amharic (አማርኛ) is a Semitic language spoken in Northern Central Ethiopia, where it is the official language. ...

See also

• Language shift

Language shift is the process whereby an entire speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. ...

References

• Gurmu, Alemayehu [2005] 'Some Notes on Sociolinguistic Aspects of Bussa' (unpublished paper presented at International Conference on Endangered Ethiopian Languages, Addis Ababa 27-30 April 2005)
• Wedekind, Klaus (ed.) (2002) 'Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada (Dullay), Diraasha (Gidole), Muusiye (Bussa) areas.' SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2002-065 (http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-065).

External link

• Ethnologue report on Bussa (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=dox).