Pilot Survey of Bilingualism in Yem
by
Aklilu Yilma
SIL International
2002
2
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Brief History of the Yem People
3 Location and Distribution
4 Bilingualism
4.1 Language attitudes and development of the Yem language
Bibliography
3
1 Introduction
This report1 gives findings from a one week trip to Illubabor administrative region, July 15–22, 1993. The survey
team included Mr. R. Siebert, Mrs. Kati Siebert, Ato Michael (as interpreter for the Sieberts), and myself. The aim of the
survey was to collect data on levels of bilingualism, on language use, and language attitudes among the Yem. In addition,
general ethnographic and linguistic data were collected on this field trip (e.g., 300 lexical items).
The Yem language, Yemsa2, is spoken in Illubabor (formerly Kaffa), an administrative region in the south-west of
Ethiopia. Historically the center of the Yem people was Fofa. At present the Yem live in different parts of Illubabor either
mixed with the Oromos in the same village or side by side in different villages within the same Wäräda.3 The only place
where the Yem live isolated is Fofa, the original center of the Yem kingdom before Minilik's incorporation of the southern
parts of Ethiopia.
The Yem who live in Fofa and the adjacent areas are surrounded by Oromo speakers in the west, north-west and
south; by Gurage speakers (Enner) in the east and north-east, and by Hadiya speakers in the south and south-east.
2 Brief History of the Yem People
The Yem are one of the indigenous people of south-western Ethiopia. They used to have their own kingdom, with
an elaborate system of political and administrative structure, and they claim that their kingdom extended to the west near a
town called Jiren (the seat of the Oromo kingdom of Jimma Aba Jiffar) and to Manna K'arsa (in the Limmu Awraja). In the
1880s the Yem began a war with the neighboring Oromo people of Jimma, who were under the leadership of Abba Jiffar.
Abba Jiffar began to extend his domain and conquered part of the Yem area. The Yem were pushed towards Fofa, the center
of the Yem kingdom, and were forced to confine themselves to Fofa and its surroundings. When Abba Jiffar of Jimma
conquered a part of Yem area, some Yem people were taken to a region in western Jimma, while others were left to live on
their own lands, but under Jimma Abba Jiffar. Others were taken to different parts of the Jimma kingdom as prisoners of war,
and several raids were made by warriors from Jimma, where most of the victims became slaves who had to cultivate the land
of their owners.
When Menilik began to expand his territory southward and gained control over the regions south of Shoa, then
both Abba Bogibo, the Yem king, and Jimma Abba Jiffar surrendered and agreed to pay annual tribute to Menilik.
Subsequently slave trade and slave ownership was abolished, the Yem who had been taken to different regions of the Jimma
kingdom were freed, but most of them chose to stay where they were. Later on, other Yem people migrated away from Fofa
to different areas south and south-west of the Fofa area. They did so in search of fertile land and because Fofa was densely
populated. As recent as 1977 a large number of Yem have migrated to Deedoo and Sak'a and some are now migrating to the
different parts of Illubabor.
3 Location and Distribution
In the literature on the Yem people, the population estimates are inaccurate. Bender gives the estimate as “1000”
(Bender 1976:4), whereas the Ethnologue reports the figure of “1000–4000” speakers of Yemsa (Grimes 1992:257). The
report of the Central Statistical Office gives the 1984 census figures of the Yem people as 34,951 (Central Statistical Office
1991:61), but this census seems to comprise only the Fofa area.
In the present survey it was found that the earlier estimates were too small because they excluded those Yem
citizens who live in different areas of Illubabor (the present “Oroomiya area” of the Jimma zone): In addition to the former
Sokoru Wäräda (which includes only Sokoru town, Fofa, Saja, Danaba and the surrounding villages), there also are
considerable Yem populations in the following Wärädas:4
1An earlier version of this report previously appeared as “Pilot Survey of Bilingualism in Yem”, Survey of Little-known Languages of Ethiopia (S.L.L.E.).
Linguistic Report 9, August 1993. Addis Ababa: Institute of Ethiopian Studies and Summer Institute of Linguistics.
2
Many Yem people, especially the educated ones, do not refer to their language as Yemsa. This is because the term referred to by Amharic speakers as
Yämsïña implies `language of a female organ'. Thus they prefer to call the language Yem.
3Administrative unit
4Administrative units
4
- The Deedoo Wäräda, an area about fifteen kms from Jimma town on the road to the Dawro area (Kullo), is
populated, according to the officers of the Yem People's Democratic Movement (YPDM), by 152,304 Yem people in fiftynine villages5. In addition to this, the Nada area (adjacent to the Deedoo Wäräda) has an estimated number of 72,200 Yem
who live in twenty-six Deedoo villages6.
- The Sak'a Wäräda (eighteen kms south of Jimma town, on the main road to Mizan) is also inhabited by Yem,
according to the information provided by teachers of Yem nationality. We were informed that in the Sak'a Wäräda there are
about thirty-four villages with Yem inhabitants. We were also informed that thirteen of these thirty-four villages are
inhabited only by Yem. The census of 1989 has registered 42,000 households in this Wäräda, and 30,000 of them were found
to be Yem. So it is estimated that there are about 150,000 Yem in Sak'a Wäräda7.
- In the Tiro Afäta Wäräda (one of the districts of the former Gibe Awraja), there are about 42,600 Yem, scattered
over seventeen peasant associations.8
- In the Manna Wäräda it was reported that there are 20 peasant associations, with a membership of about 17,000
9
Yem .
- In addition to these Wärädas, there are also other settlements with large numbers of Yem inhabitants. This
includes, for instance, Dimtu (a village on the road to Jimma, near Sokoru), it includes Jimma town, and Kishe (45–50 kms
from Sak'a on the main road to Bonga).
The information given above probably is not as precise as it would be desirable–nor is it complete (!)–but on the
basis of this new survey we have to conclude that the Yem population approximates 500,000 rather than 5,000.
4 Bilingualism
In the Yem area three main languages are spoken side by side: Yem, Oromo, and Amharic. Wherever several
languages coexist, there usually is a tendency to prefer one language over the others in different domains such as home,
neighborhood, etc.
In this section, an attempt will be made to present some statistics on the respondents, as well as their responses to
the questionnaires. The respondents were twenty-seven Yem people of different age groups, ranging from 15–70 years old.
The educational levels of the subjects ranged from no education to third year college education (see table I below). The
questionnaire was administered in different parts of Illubabor where Yem people live: in Sokoru, Saja, Deedoo, Sak'a, and
Jimma.
It should be noted that out of the twenty-seven respondents, twenty-four of the Yem (i.e., eighty-nine percent)
speak Oromo as one language among others, while two of the Yem men (seven percent) know only Oromo. Among the same
twenty-seven subjects, there are sixteen Yem people (fifty-nine percent) who speak Amharic as a second language.
It should also be noted that there are many Yem who do not speak or understand the Yem language. Most of these
only speak Oromo. Among those Yem who do not speak the Yem language there also are older people (60–70 years of age).
Several reasons have been observed why many Yem people do not speak their own language: As mentioned in section two of
this report, many Yem have left their home areas to migrate to areas where Oromos are in the majority. Because these Yem
people have lived the whole of their life in areas where Oromo is spoken (e.g. in Deedoo, Saja, Sak'a Danaba), mixing with
Oromo speakers, many of them have abandoned the Yem language and shifted to Oromo.
5Interview made with Ato Gebre Sellasie Serba and Ato Habte Gebre Michael on July 20, 1993 in Jimma town.
6 Interview with Ato Gebre Sellasie in Jimma town on July 20, 1993.
7 Interview with former peasant association chairman in Sak'a town.
8 Interview with Ato Gebre Sellassie Serba in Jimma.
9 Information given by officials of the Yem People Democratic Front (YPDF) in Sokru town.
5
Table I
Age and Educational Levels of the Respondents
Age group
15–30
31–45
46–60
60 +
Sex
M
9
6
4
2
F
2
1
3
0
Education
No education
3
1
5
1
Literacy and Elementary Sch.
6
1
2
0
High Sch. and Above
3
4
0
1
Total
Percentage
21
77.7
6
22.2
10
37
9
33.3
8
29.6
Table II
Native Language of the Respondent
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
19
70.4
Or.
6
22.2
Amh.
2
7.4
Total
27
100
Table III
Language of the Respondents’ Parents
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
25
92.6
Or.
2
7.4
Amh.
-
Total
27
100
Table IV
First Language of the Respondents’ Child*
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
7
35
Or.
6
30
Amh.
7
35
Total
20
100
*It should be noted here that seven of the respondents are either unmarried or do not have children, and two of the children in each
language group are monolingual.
When we compare the patterns of native language use of the three generations represented in the three tables II,
III, and IV above, we observe that the dominant pattern in the first and second generation is Yem. The percentage of Amharic
being spoken as a native language is increasing, whereas the percentage of Yem is decreasing from generation to generation,
and the pattern of first language acquisition is in the process of changing.
Table V
Language within the Family (father, mother,husband, and wife)
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
10
37.0
Or.
4
14.8
Yem and Or.
4
14.8
Yem and Amh. Y.,Or.and Amh. Total
7
2
27
25.9
7.4
99.9
Table VI
Language with Children*
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
Or.
Amh.
Yem and Or. Or. and Amh. Y.,O rand Amh. Total
1
4
5
7
2
1
20
5
20
25
35
10
5
100
*Seven of the respondents are either unmarried or do not have children in the family
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Table VII
Language with Friends
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
12
44.4
Or.
4
14.8
Yem and Or.
6
22.2
Yem and Amh.
2
7.4
Or. and Amh.
3
11.1
Total
27
99.9
Table VIII
Language with Neighbors
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
3
11.1
Or.
3
11.1
Amh.
3
11.1
Yem and Or.
12
44.4
Yem and Amh.
1
3.7
Or. and Amh.
3
11.1
Y.,Or.and Amh.
2
7.4
Total
27
99.9
Table IX
Language with Elders
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
6
22.2
Or.
3
11.1
Yem and Or.
12
44.4
Yem and Amh.
3
11.1
Or. and Amh.
2
7.4
Y.,Or.and Amh.
1
3.7
Total
27
99.9
Table X
Language use at Local Market
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
5
18.5
Or.
6
22.2
Amh.
1
3.7
Yem and Or.
9
33.3
Yem and Amh.
3
11.1
Or. and Amh.
1
3.7
Y.,Or.and Amh.
2
7.4
Total
27
99.9
Table XI
Language use at Big Market
Languages
Number
Percentage
Or.
6
22.2
Amh.
5
18.5
Yem and Or.
7
25.9
Or. and Amh.
4
14.8
Y.,Or.and Amh.
5
18.5
Total
27
99.9
Table XII
Language use at Kebele or Wereda10
Languages
Number
Percentage
Yem
3
11.1
Or.
7
25.9
Amh.
7
25.9
Yem and Or.
4
14.8
Or. and Amh.
3
11.1
Y.,Or.and Amh.
3
11.1
Total
27
99.9
Table XIII
Language use at Field/Work
Languages Yem
Number
5
Percentage 18.5
10Administrative unit
Or.
7
25.9
Amh.
4
14.8
Yem and Or.
5
18.5
Yem and Amh.
2
7.4
Or. and Amh.
1
3.7
Y.,Or.and Amh.
3
11.1
Total
27
99.9
7
4.1 Language attitudes and development of the Yem language
Since three main languages are spoken in Yem community, the value judgments and attitudes which the Yem
people have towards their own language as well as towards other languages like Oromo and Amharic tend to vary. In the
interviews which were made in different parts of Illubabor, the following language attitudes were observed:
In the past, those Yem who lived with Oromos felt uneasy about speaking Yem. The reason was that they were
afraid to be called “Janjero”, which has a pejorative meaning. At present, most Yem have a positive attitude towards their
own language. They want to revive it11, and they would like to have books, magazines, and newspapers. They also want to
see teaching materials for a literacy program in Yem, so as to maintain and develop the language.
Also, most Yem have a favorable attitude towards Amharic. They think it is good to speak and understand
Amharic because they see Amharic as the most prestigious and the one most widely spoken language. Amharic is also a
medium of instruction in primary schools, and better employment opportunities are accessible to those who possess the
necessary skills in Amharic than to those who lack them.
Regarding the attitude towards the Oromo language, it seems that many Yem have a positive attitude toward the
Oromo language: they say it is good to speak and understand the language of one's neighbors and to be able to communicate
with them. On the other hand, an unfavorable attitude towards Oromo is expressed by a large number of Yem people—
expecially by those who think that the Oromos have mistreated, enslaved, and dominated the Yem people in the past.
Therefore they do not wish their children to learn Oromo.
Concerning the development of their language, many Yem people have expressed the concern that their language
is in the process of changing. They express regret about the fact that their children speak it less and less and that they use
words from Oromo and Amharic when they do speak Yem.
Bibliography
Yilma , Aklilu. 1993. The Linguistic Etiquette of Yemsa, Journal of Ethiopian Studies. Vol. 26, 1–13.
Bender, M. L. (ed.). 1976. The Non-Semitic Languages of Ethiopia. East Lansing: Michigan State University.
Central Statistical Authority. 1991. Results of the 1984 Demographic Survey. Statistical Bulletin. Addis Ababa.
Grimes, Barbara F. 1992. Ethnologue. Dallas.
Lewis, Herbert S. 1965. A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jiffar, Ethiopia, 1830–1932. Madison and Milwaukee: University
of Wisconsin Press.
11 The present political situation in the country has given the Yem people the chance and the right to establish their own political organizations. These
organizations aim at reviving the Yem language by encouraging the people to speak and teach children their own language and free themselves from every
aspect of domination and influence. These organizations are also contesting the Oromo people's organization and insist, for instance, that Sokoru town
should be the center of the Yem special zone. The survey team has observed expressions of hostility between the Yem and Oromo political organizations,
and in the Deedoo and Sak'a Wärädas the Oromo administrators have tried to impair our survey by supplying inaccurate information about the Yem people
who live in these two Wärädas.