Editing Oromo language (section)

{{short description|Cushitic language of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia}}
{{refimprove|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Oromo
| pronunciation    = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɒr|ə|m|oʊ}} or {{IPAc-en|ɔː|ˈ|r|oʊ|m|oʊ}}
| altname          = 
| image            = File:OromooScriptx.svg
| imagescale       = 1
| imagecaption     = "Afaan Oromoo" in [[Latin script|Latin]], [[Ge'ez script|Ge'ez]], and the Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo script invented by [[Bakri Sapalo]].<ref>{{Cite web| title=Proposal for Encoding the Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo Script in the UCS | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24109-sheek-bakrii-saphaloo.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419015338/https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24109-sheek-bakrii-saphaloo.pdf | archive-date=2024-04-19}}</ref>
| nativename       = ''Afaan  Oromoo''
| states           = [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Somalia]]<ref name="Oromo">{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/orm/|chapter=Oromo |date=2024 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |publisher=SIL International |editor-last=Eberhard |editor-first=David M. |edition=Twenty Seventh|location=Dallas, Texas |access-date=22 February 2024 |editor-last2=Simons |editor-first2=Gary F. |editor-last3=Fennig |editor-first3=Charles D.}}</ref>
| region           = [[Oromia]]
| ethnicity        = [[Oromo people|Oromo]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|45.531240|3}} million (all countries)
| date             = 2019–2024
| ref              = e27
| nation           = {{flagcountry|Ethiopia}}<ref name="africanews.com">{{Cite news |last=Shaban |first=Abdurahman |date=2020-03-04 |title=One to Five: Ethiopia Gets Four New Federal Working Languages |language=en |work=Africa News |url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// |access-date=2021-01-22 |archive-date=2020-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215231030/https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// }}</ref>
| minority         = {{flagcountry|Kenya}}
| familycolor      = Afro-Asiatic
| fam2             = [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic]]
| fam3             = [[East Cushitic languages|East]]
| fam4             = [[Lowland East Cushitic languages|Lowland]]
| fam5             = [[Oromoid languages|Oromoid]]
| script           = {{ubl
  | [[Latin script|Latin]] (Qubee)
  | Saphaloo Script
  }}
| iso1             = om
| iso2             = orm
| iso3             = orm
| lc1              = gax
| ld1              = [[Southern Oromo language|Borana–Arsi–Guji Oromo]]
| lc2              = hae
| ld2              = [[Eastern Oromo language|Eastern Oromo]]
| lc3              = orc
| ld3              = [[Orma language|Orma]]
| lc4              = gaz
| ld4              = [[West Central Oromo language|West Central Oromo]]
| lc5              = ssn
| ld5              = [[Waata language|Waata]]
| map              = Map of the Oromo language.svg
| mapcaption       = Areas in East Africa where Oromo is spoken
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = nucl1736
| glottorefname    = Nuclear Oromo
}}

'''Oromo''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɒr|ə|m|oʊ}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bauer |first=Laurie |title=The Linguistics Student's Handbook |date=2007 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2759-2 |location=Edinburgh |language=en}}</ref> {{respell|OR|əm|ow}} or {{IPAc-en|ɔː|ˈ|r|oʊ|m|oʊ}}<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Oromo |encyclopedia=[[Dictionary.com]] |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Oromo |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Oromo |encyclopedia=TheFreeDictionary.com |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Oromo |language=en}}</ref> {{respell|aw|ROW|mow}}; {{langx|om|Afaan Oromoo|link=no}}), historically also called '''Galla''',<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hodson |first1=Arnold W. |last2=Walker |first2=Craven H. |date=July 1924 |title=Grammar of the Galla or Oromo Language |type=Review |journal=African Affairs |volume=XXIII |issue=XCII |pages=328–329 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a100016}}</ref> which is regarded by the Oromo as pejorative,<ref name="Oromo in Ethnologue 25">{{cite web |last1=Eberhard |first1=David M. |last2=Simons |first2=Gary F. |last3=Fennig |first3=Charles D. |title=Oromo, West-Central [gaz] |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gaz |website=Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-fifth edition |publisher=SIL International |access-date=12 October 2022 |location=Dallas}}</ref> is an [[Afroasiatic language]] that belongs to the [[Cushitic languages|Cushitic family]]. It is native to the [[Ethiopia]]n state of [[Oromia]] and [[North Eastern Province (Kenya)|northern Kenya]] and is spoken predominantly by the [[Oromo people]] and neighboring ethnic groups in the [[Horn of Africa]]. It is used as a [[lingua franca]] in Oromia and northeastern Kenya.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bulcha |first=Merkuria |date=1997 |title=The Politics of Linguistic Homogenization in Ethiopia and the Conflict over the Status of Afaan Oromoo |journal=African Affairs |language=en |volume=96 |issue=384 |pages=325–352 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a007852 |jstor=723182}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oromo (Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Oromoo) |url=https://www.langcen.cam.ac.uk/resources/lango/oromo.html |access-date=14 July 2021 |website=Language Centre Resources |publisher=University of Cambridge |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oromo Language |url=https://www.mustgo.com/worldlanguages/oromo/ |access-date=14 July 2021 |website=MustGo |language=en}}</ref>

With more than 41.7 million speakers<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/gaz/|title=West Central Oromo|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=29 May 2024}}</ref> making up 33.8% of the total [[Ethiopians|Ethiopian population]],<ref name="The world factbook">{{Cite web |title=Ethiopia |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ethiopia/ |website=The World Factbook |date=6 June 2022 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref> Oromo has the largest number of native speakers in Ethiopia, and ranks as the second most widely spoken language in Ethiopia by total number of speakers (including second-language speakers) following [[Amharic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amharic |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/AMH |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref> Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by an additional half-million people in parts of northern and eastern [[Kenya]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oromo |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/oromo-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825174511/https://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/oromo-1 |archive-date=2016-08-25 |access-date=2016-08-22 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref> It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as [[South Africa]], [[Libya]], [[Egypt]] and [[Sudan]]. Oromo is the most widely spoken [[Cushitic language]] and among the five [[languages of Africa]] with the largest mother-tongue populations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 February 2016 |title=Children's Books Breathe New Life Into Oromo Language |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03jqf43 |website=BBC |language=en}}</ref> 

Oromo serves as one of the official working languages of Ethiopia<ref name="africanews.com">{{Cite news |last=Shaban |first=Abdurahman |date=2020-03-04 |title=One to Five: Ethiopia Gets Four New Federal Working Languages |language=en |work=Africa News |url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// |access-date=2021-01-22 |archive-date=2020-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215231030/https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// }}</ref> and is also the working language of several of the states within the Ethiopian federal system including [[Oromia]],<ref name="The world factbook" /> [[Harari Region]] and [[Dire Dawa]] and Oromia in the [[Amhara Region]]. It is a language of primary education in Oromia, Harari, Dire Dawa, [[Benishangul-Gumuz Region]], and [[Addis Ababa]]. It is used as an internet language for federal websites along with [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=mcit.gov.et |url=http://www.mcit.gov.et/ |website=mcit.gov.et |access-date=2019-11-04 |archive-date=2019-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119123651/http://www.mcit.gov.et/ }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ቤት &#124; FMOH |url=http://www.moh.gov.et/ejcc/ |website=moh.gov.et |access-date=2020-06-15 |archive-date=2021-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205123805/http://www.moh.gov.et/ejcc/ }}</ref> Under [[Haile Selassie]]'s government, Oromo was ''de facto'' banned in education, in conversation, and in administrative matters.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davey |first=Melissa |date=2016-02-13 |title=Oromo Children's Books Keep Once-Banned Ethiopian Language Alive |language=en |work=The Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/14/oromo-childrens-books-keep-once-banned-ethiopian-language-alive |access-date=February 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oromo |url=https://nalrc.indiana.edu/doc/brochures/oromo.pdf |publisher=National African Language Resource Center (NALRC) |language=en |type=Brochure |access-date=2021-02-11 |archive-date=2022-10-09 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://nalrc.indiana.edu/doc/brochures/oromo.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethiopians: Amhara and Oromo |url=https://iimn.org/publication/finding-common-ground/minnesotas-refugees/africa/ethiopians-amhara-oromo/#:~:text=More%20than%2075%20ethnic%20groups,between%20the%20Amhara%20and%20Oromo. |website=International Institute of Minnesota |language=en}}</ref>