'Languages Don't Die by Accident—They Are Killed by Specific Forces': Ethiopian Scholar
18:02 26.10.2026 (Updated: 18:19 26.10.2026)
Subscribe
'Languages Don't Die by Accident—They Are Killed by Specific Forces': Ethiopian Scholar on Preserving Minority Languages
"They can be saved if communities and governments act," linguist Tesfaye Negash Bayou, who documents the endangered Komo and Kwegu languages, explained to Sputnik Africa.
Key drivers of language endangerment in Ethiopia:
🟠Ethnic federalism has created a hierarchy of languages based on population size and political power, disadvantaging groups without their own regional state;
🟠Politicized language regulation has left more than 86 ethnic groups sidelined, reinforcing ethnic divide;
🟠Technologies—media, social media, and AI tools—operate mainly in dominant languages, further marginalizing minor ones;
🟠Migration to cities like Addis Ababa pushes minority speakers to abandon their languages to survive;
🟠Asymmetrical multilingualism makes minority speakers learn dominant languages, but not vice versa, pressuring them to shift their primary language.
What makes the Komo language unique, and what would disappear with it? Watch the video for the explanation.
"They can be saved if communities and governments act," linguist Tesfaye Negash Bayou, who documents the endangered Komo and Kwegu languages, explained to Sputnik Africa.
Key drivers of language endangerment in Ethiopia:
🟠Ethnic federalism has created a hierarchy of languages based on population size and political power, disadvantaging groups without their own regional state;
🟠Politicized language regulation has left more than 86 ethnic groups sidelined, reinforcing ethnic divide;
🟠Technologies—media, social media, and AI tools—operate mainly in dominant languages, further marginalizing minor ones;
🟠Migration to cities like Addis Ababa pushes minority speakers to abandon their languages to survive;
🟠Asymmetrical multilingualism makes minority speakers learn dominant languages, but not vice versa, pressuring them to shift their primary language.
What makes the Komo language unique, and what would disappear with it? Watch the video for the explanation.
