The Gumuz languages, also known by the current scholarly name Bʼaga, form a small family spoken along the border of Ethiopia and Sudan. They have been tentatively classified as closest to the Koman languages within the Nilo-Saharan family.
Facts
RegionAlong the border of Ethiopia and Sudan: the Benishangul-Gumuz Region and Amhara Region in Ethiopia (Kamashi and Metekel zones, plus an outlying group near Welkite), and Blue Nile State in Sudan (around Famaka and Fazoglo, east of Er Roseires). 1 Speaker Count Proto-Language StatusClassified within Nilo-Saharan as part of a broader Gumuz-Koman (Komuz) grouping, but the genetic status of this grouping remains debatable: very few of the widespread Nilo-Saharan nominal and verbal morphological markers are attested in Gumuz or the Koman languages, and some researchers (Bender 2000) have suggested Gumuz could even be a language isolate. No Proto-Gumuz or Proto-Komuz has been securely reconstructed. 2 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Gumuz Language
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Most Ethiopian speakers live in Kamashi Zone and Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, although a group of 1,000 reportedly live outside the town of Welkite (Unseth 1989). The Sudanese speakers live in the area east of Er Roseires, around Famaka and Fazoglo on the Blue Nile, extending north along the border.
2. Wikipedia: Bʼaga Languages
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The Bʼaga languages, also known as Gumuz, form a small language family spoken along the border of Ethiopia and Sudan.
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