Oromo Online Language Course

The Gadaa system, a democratic generation system, formed the cultural and organizational backbone of this expansion. Through rituals like Moggassa (new areas) and Guddifacha (ceremonial adoption of foreign groups into the Oromo community) the Oromo integrates into new regions without abandoning their linguistic and cultural identity.

These kingdoms developed into centres of regional trade in coffee, gold and other goods. They established the Oromo language as administrative and commercial language in its territories and strengthened the linguistic identity of the growing Oromo population.

The most important linguistic reason was the inability of the Ge'ez writing to depict the phonetic subtleties of the Oromo. Afaan Oromoo has 10 vocal phonemes with five short and five long vowelswhile Ge'ez knows only seven vowels. This vowel quantity is significant in Oromo, as the examples hara (See) versus haaraa (new) or badaa (bad) versus baddaa (highland) show.

Oromo is close to other kuschitische languages. Somali and Oromo share about 40 percent of their lexic due to common East-Custic roots. Amazing Similarities can also be found in South African Bantu languages such as Nguni, Sotho, Venda, Tsonga and Shona, suggesting early migration. These relations underline the independence of Oromo in relation to the semitic languages of Ethiopia.

Toward the end of 19. Emperor Menelik II expanded. the Abessinian empire to the south and annexed the areas of Oromo. With the support of European powers such as Great Britain, Italy and France oromia lost his institutional independence and became effective a colony within the Ethiopian Empire. 
In order to justify the rule, the Oromo of Abessinian writers and European allies were often presented as "Galla", a degrading term for people without religion or civilization. There was Experiments of Mass Conversions to Orthodox Christianity, while the indigenous Oromo religion Waaqeffannaa was systematically suppressed.

Under Emperor Haile Selassie, the policy of forced assimilation is strengthened. Amharic was propagated as the only national language while Oromo publicly ridiculed or stigmatized. The Oromo language was not allowed to be taught in schools, and anyone who wrote or spoke in Oromo risked punishment. Many Oromo were forced to accept amharic names to avoid discrimination.

The year 1991 marked the end of this repressive policy. After the fall of the Derg regime, Afaan Oromoo was officially recognized as a working language of the Oromia region in 1992. Today Oromo is taught in schools, used in media and maintained in literature.