Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Berta languages

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Geographicdistribution:
  
Subdivisions:
  
GebetoFadashiUndu

Glottolog:
  
bert1248

Linguistic classification:
  
ISO 639-3:
  
wti

The Berta languages, or Wetawit, traditionally considered dialects of a single language, are Gebeto (Berta proper), Fadashi, and Undu. They are either a small family (or language isolate) of their own, or a primary branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family.

Berta has the typical word order subject–verb–object. It is a tonal language. It has significantly influenced some of the Eastern Jebel languages. The Arabic name "Beni-Shangul" (as in the Ethiopian province of Benishangul-Gumuz) derives from a Berta expression (with bele "rock/stone" misanalyzed as Arabic beni "sons").

References

Berta languages Wikipedia


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