Arabic Language, Literature & Culture

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“Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo

Received: Nov. 05, 2019    Accepted: Apr. 20, 2020    Published: Apr. 28, 2020
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Abstract

In many countries, policymakers suspect that the use of local languages in education can result in excessive ethnicization, which may lead to conflicts and divide nations. The objectives of the study are to assess the basic cause that stays Ethiopia to not have its own language policy and to investigate opportunities that leads Ethiopian to have language policy. The subjects of this study are language experts, policy makers and politicians, and target speech community. The major data collection instrument was questionnaire. Interviews with key informants and document analysis were supplementary tools to achieve the objective of the research. To mention some of the findings, a development plan of a country in all aspects should primarily deal with the concrete study of the language issues. There is statistical relationship between measurement and evaluation made by policy makers and opportunities in current trends of Afaan Oromoo (p-0.001). The case of Oromo language is not far from this general perception. Unless this Linguistic right is gained by the Oromo language speakers, these people hardly feel the full citizenship in the entire country, Ethiopia, because they can feel discrimination due to their lack of real participation in the country’s overall activities. Such discrimination can even cause conflict at different occasions. As from the general principles of language use is argued, the question of the Oromo language use as a national language is realized, Ethiopia’s overall development remain only a wish for the prime reason of lack of Oromo people’s motivation in the involvement of political, economic, social activities. Value linguistic and cultural pluralism practically, as demonstrated in the constitution. Currently Ethiopia is in the refolution (reform and revolution) which means education policy, Health policy, foreign relation policy, public service policy, and other major pillars of policies and declarations are changed and/or modified. Therefore, possible to design an independent language policy. Amend the issue of Afaan Oromoo as federal alternative working language in the constitution.

DOI 10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11
Published in Arabic Language, Literature & Culture ( Volume 5, Issue 1, March 2020 )
Page(s) 1-8
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Language, Policy, Challenges and Opportunities

References
[1] Burton L (2013) Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in the Philippines: Studying Top-Down Policy Implementation from the Bottom Up: Un published PhD Dirertation, Presented at UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.
[2] Chiatoh, B. (2005) Language, education and development. ADEA Newsletter. Volume 17, Number 2. Retrieved from http://www.adeanet.org/sites/default/files/v17n2_eng_web.pdf.
[3] Chiuye G. and Moyo T. (2008) Mother-tongue education in primary schools in Malawi: From policy to implementation: S. Afr. J. Afr. Lang., 2008, 2.
[4] Cohen, Gideon PE, (2008) Mother Tongue and Other Tongue in Primary Education: Can Equity be achieved with the use of different languages?
[5] Kosonen, K. & Young, C. (eds) (2009) Mother Tongue as a Bridge Language of Instruction: Policies and Experiences in Southeast Asia. Bangkok: Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).
[6] Kosonen, K., Person, K., Phongsathorn, V., Young, C., Bista, M. & Bang, K. (2013) MTB MLE. Mother TongueBased Multilingual Education. Lessons Learned from a Decade of Research and Practice. Multilingual Education Working Group Asia-Pacific. Presentations and discussions at the 4th International Conference on Language and Education, ‘Multilingual Education for All in Asia and the Pacific: Policies, Practices and Processes’, held in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2013. Retrieved from http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/library/edocuments/MTBMLE_23_Oct.pd.
[7] Ouane, A. (2005) Learning, but in which language? Editorial. ADEA Newsletter. Volume 17, Number 2. Retrieved from http://www.adeanet.org/sites/default/files/v17n2_eng_web.pdf.
[8] Samuel L., and Wolde E.,(2015),‘Linguistic Analysis of Moribund Lexicons: Focus on Baalee Oromo’, Journal of Science and sustainable Development (JSSD), VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1, 73-85.
[9] Samuel L., and Wolde E., (2017) ‘Critical Analysis of the Diacritic /'/ inAfan Oromo’, Ethiopian Journal of Social and Language Studies, Vol. 4 No. 1.
[10] Samuel L. (2019). Assesment of mother toungue education at primary schools: West Shoa in focus (unpublished research).
[11] Sandberg A (2017). Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Among Linguistic Minorities, Indira Helsinki.
[12] Yonathan A.(2014) Multilingual Language Policy And Language Practice In Ethiopia: Opportunities And Challenges For National Unity And Development, unpublished PhD Dissertation presented at Addis Ababa University.
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  • APA Style

    Samuel Leykun, Tamiru Gari. (2020). “Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo. Arabic Language, Literature & Culture, 5(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11

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    Samuel Leykun; Tamiru Gari. “Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo. Arab. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2020, 5(1), 1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11

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    AMA Style

    Samuel Leykun, Tamiru Gari. “Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo. Arab Lang Lit Cult. 2020;5(1):1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11,
      author = {Samuel Leykun and Tamiru Gari},
      title = {“Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo},
      journal = {Arabic Language, Literature & Culture},
      volume = {5},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-8},
      doi = {10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.allc.20200501.11},
      abstract = {In many countries, policymakers suspect that the use of local languages in education can result in excessive ethnicization, which may lead to conflicts and divide nations. The objectives of the study are to assess the basic cause that stays Ethiopia to not have its own language policy and to investigate opportunities that leads Ethiopian to have language policy. The subjects of this study are language experts, policy makers and politicians, and target speech community. The major data collection instrument was questionnaire. Interviews with key informants and document analysis were supplementary tools to achieve the objective of the research. To mention some of the findings, a development plan of a country in all aspects should primarily deal with the concrete study of the language issues. There is statistical relationship between measurement and evaluation made by policy makers and opportunities in current trends of Afaan Oromoo (p-0.001). The case of Oromo language is not far from this general perception. Unless this Linguistic right is gained by the Oromo language speakers, these people hardly feel the full citizenship in the entire country, Ethiopia, because they can feel discrimination due to their lack of real participation in the country’s overall activities. Such discrimination can even cause conflict at different occasions. As from the general principles of language use is argued, the question of the Oromo language use as a national language is realized, Ethiopia’s overall development remain only a wish for the prime reason of lack of Oromo people’s motivation in the involvement of political, economic, social activities. Value linguistic and cultural pluralism practically, as demonstrated in the constitution. Currently Ethiopia is in the refolution (reform and revolution) which means education policy, Health policy, foreign relation policy, public service policy, and other major pillars of policies and declarations are changed and/or modified. Therefore, possible to design an independent language policy. Amend the issue of Afaan Oromoo as federal alternative working language in the constitution.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - “Language Policy” in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities in Current Trends of Afaan Oromoo
    AU  - Samuel Leykun
    AU  - Tamiru Gari
    Y1  - 2020/04/28
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11
    T2  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
    JF  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
    JO  - Arabic Language, Literature & Culture
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2639-9695
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.allc.20200501.11
    AB  - In many countries, policymakers suspect that the use of local languages in education can result in excessive ethnicization, which may lead to conflicts and divide nations. The objectives of the study are to assess the basic cause that stays Ethiopia to not have its own language policy and to investigate opportunities that leads Ethiopian to have language policy. The subjects of this study are language experts, policy makers and politicians, and target speech community. The major data collection instrument was questionnaire. Interviews with key informants and document analysis were supplementary tools to achieve the objective of the research. To mention some of the findings, a development plan of a country in all aspects should primarily deal with the concrete study of the language issues. There is statistical relationship between measurement and evaluation made by policy makers and opportunities in current trends of Afaan Oromoo (p-0.001). The case of Oromo language is not far from this general perception. Unless this Linguistic right is gained by the Oromo language speakers, these people hardly feel the full citizenship in the entire country, Ethiopia, because they can feel discrimination due to their lack of real participation in the country’s overall activities. Such discrimination can even cause conflict at different occasions. As from the general principles of language use is argued, the question of the Oromo language use as a national language is realized, Ethiopia’s overall development remain only a wish for the prime reason of lack of Oromo people’s motivation in the involvement of political, economic, social activities. Value linguistic and cultural pluralism practically, as demonstrated in the constitution. Currently Ethiopia is in the refolution (reform and revolution) which means education policy, Health policy, foreign relation policy, public service policy, and other major pillars of policies and declarations are changed and/or modified. Therefore, possible to design an independent language policy. Amend the issue of Afaan Oromoo as federal alternative working language in the constitution.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Linguistics, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia

  • Department of English Language and Literature, Ambo University, Ambo, Ethiopia

  • Section