Dime language

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Endangered Omotic language of Ethiopia

title: "Dime language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["languages-of-ethiopia", "aroid-languages"] description: "Endangered Omotic language of Ethiopia" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Endangered Omotic language of Ethiopia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]

Field	Value
name	Dime
states	Ethiopia
region	Debub (South) Omo Zone
speakers
ref	e18
date	2007 census
familycolor	Afro-Asiatic
fam2	Omotic
fam3	South Omotic
iso3	dim
glotto	dime1235
glottorefname	Dime
::

Dime or Dima is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in the northern part of the Selamago district in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNP) of Ethiopia, around Mount Smith. The basic word order is subject–object–verb (SOV), as in other Omotic languages, and indeed in all members of the core of the Ethiopian Language Area.

The language, as well as the Dime people themselves, reportedly decreased in number over the 20th century due to predations from their neighbors the Bodi, and both are in danger of extinction. According to official Ethiopian figures, the 1994 census reported 6293 speakers of the Dime language in the SNNP region alone; in the 2007 census, only 574 speakers were reported for all of Ethiopia. Further, because the Dime language still lacks a writing system and there are no local schools to promote the use of the language, it is even more threatened.

Phonology

Consonants

::data[format=table]

Bilabial	Alveolar	Alveo-palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
p	t		k
b	d		g
p’	t’		k’		ʔ
	ɗ
f	s	ʃ	x	χ	h
	z	ʒ	ɣ	ʁ
	s’
	ts	tʃ
		dʒ
		tʃ’
m	n
	l
	r
w		j
::

Vowels

::data[format=table]

Front	Central	Back
i	ɨ	U
e		O
ɛ	ə	ɔ
	a
::

Free variation

Dime undergoes phonological processes when speaking and one of them is free variation. Free variation is a phenomenon of two or more sounds or forms appearing in the same environment without a change in meaning and without being considered as wrong by a native speaker of Dime.

h and ʔ are free variation word initially in some lexemes.

: ʔˈalfe and halfe Knife : ʔˈaʁe and haʁe wood, knife : ʔààke and hààke to pick up : ʔaay and haay grass : yízí and hízí to run : yín or ʔín you (obj.)

Gemination

Dime has a lot of consonant gemination, which mostly occurs in the middle and final position of words, which distinguishes the meaning of lexemes.

: túmú (deep) - túmmú (stomach) : ʔoloχ (quick) - ʔolloχ (slowly) : ʔane (hand) - ʔanne (wild life)

Syllable structure

Dime has both closed and open syllables as well as super-heavy syllables. Most consonants can occur in the middle and at the end of the word.

::data[format=table]

Syllable shape	examples	translation	CV	CVC	CVV	CVVC	CVCC	CVVCC
ná	'she'
nú	'he'
káf	'wait'
lág	'friend'
čúú	'bottom'
loo.mú	'lemon'
neey	'hunger'
zuúb	'red'
gušš	'nails'
físt	mucu
gɘrž	'cat'
lóokk
c’íížž
::

Dime also has consonant clusters, which are mostly made up of only two members.

At the end of the word:

: gušš nails : físt sneeze : tálk borrow : sáánk floor : túss pillar

In the middle of the word:

: dámpe tobacco : básumb fearful : gázde boundry : bedze out

Morphology and Syntax

Definiteness

A definite noun is one which refers to a specific entity. Morphologically, Dime distinguishes definite from indefinite nouns. Definiteness is marked by the suffix -is.

:ʔ́ehé a house - ʔ́éh-is the house :nîts a child - nîts-is the child :ʔiyýi a person - ʔiyýs-is the person

|ʔámzi gúdúm-ind-is |woman tall-F-DEF |the tall woman}}

|gúdúm-ub gǒst-is |tall man-DEF |the tall man}}

In the last example, there is a modifier in the noun phrase; the definite marker is suffixed to the modifier.

The definite marker -is may optionally be changed to -iz when followed by a voiced consonant.

:ʔéh-is the house :gášš-is the road :ʔámz-iz the woman :zúùb-iz the red one

Number

Nouns and noun phrases make a distinction between singular and plural. Singular is morphologically unmarked, whereas plural is marked by the suffix -af. That a head noun is plural can be inferred from the morpheme -id, which is suffixed to a modifier.

|ʔéh -áf-is |house -PL-DEF |the houses}}

|dər -áf-is |goat -PL-DEF |the goats}}

|guur -af-is |crocodile -PL-DEF |the crocodiles}}

Pronouns

::data[format=table title="Pronouns"] | Subject | Object | 1st person | singular | plural | 2nd person | singular | plural | 3rd person | singular | plural | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | ʔaté | I | ʔis-im | me | | | | | | | | | wótú | we | won-im | us | | | | | | | | | yaay/yáye | you | yin-im | you | | | | | | | | | yesé | you all/you guys | yen-im | you all/you guys | | | | | | | | | nú | he | kin-im | him | | | | | | | | | ná | she | kon-im | her | | | | | | | | | kété | they | ken-im | them | | | | | | | | ::

References

Relevant literature

Seyoum, Mulugeta. "Gender Marking in Tsaratsa." Studies in Ethiopian Languages 7 (2018): 1-13.
Seyoum, Mulugeta. A Grammar of Dime. Leiden University, doctoral dissertation. 2008.

References

Seyoum, Mulugeta. (2008). "A grammar of Dime". Leiden University.
Fleming, Harold. (1990). "Omotic Language Studies". [[School of Oriental and African Studies.
[http://www.csa.gov.et/images/documents/pdf_files/regional/SNNPR1.pdf ''1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region'', Vol. 1, part 1], Table 2.14
Central Statistical Agency. "Ethiopia - Population and Housing Census 2007 Report, National". International Household Survey Network.

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