This study is about the sociolinguistic and grammatical description of Kemantney, anrnendangered Ethiopian language on the verge of extinction. To describe the replacementrnprocess of Kemantney by Amharic, three vantage points are discussed in some detail. Thesernare: the sociolinguistic analysis of the speech behaviour of the last generation of speakers, thernhistorical analysis of the external setting and, finally the grammatical description of thernstructural consequences.rnThe sociolinguistic analysis reveals the high functional reduction of Kemantney. It is usedrnonly in rituals and secret talks. Amharic is used for other purposes. Kemantney speakers haverna native command of in and a positive attitude towards Amharic, the replacing language, forrnpractical reasons. Their proficiency in Kemantney is bound to age, place of birth andrnresidence, and religious affiliation. The young generation has developed a negative attituderntowards Kemantney. The denial of knowledge of Kemantney and of their identity as Kemantrnis commonly observed among adults. In general, there is a shift of linguistic identityrnaccompanied by a shift of social identity.rnThe historical analysis of the external setting reveals the political, economic and culturalrnfactors which have contributed to the obsolescence of Kemantney. Among these, therngeographical location, the long-standing history of contact and peaceful co-existence with thernAmhara, the derogatory implication of the name Kemant, intermarriage, and the speared ofrnschools and administrative structures, are the major causes. The immediate cause is, however,rnthe mass conversion of the Kemant people to Orthodox Christianity. Diachronically, thernlanguage has gone through both radical and gradual death processes and has ended up with arnbottom-to-top type of obsolescence.rnThe lexical and grammatical description of Kemantney reveals that the language has stillrnmaintained its Agew - Cushitic features. And yet, striking reductions and simplifications arernexhibited in its structure which is attributable to either contact-induced change or languagerndecay. There is a good deal of lexical transfer from Amharic to Kemantney throughrnborrowing. Stem borrowing is common in verbs. The hierarchy of borrowing is: Nouns -rnAdjectives - Verbs - Adverbs - and finally Postpositions. Frequently occurring andrnstructurally less complex words are more remembered. There is a tendency of replacingrnsounds typical to Kemantney by related sounds from Amharic. Morphemic borrowing and thernborrowing of discourse elements are found. The proficiency continuum ranges from fullyrncompetent speakers to rememberers of words and isolated phrases.