Fishing And Brewing In Zay Description And Documentation Of Main Linguistic Aspects

The Zay are one of the diverse ethnolinguistic groups in Ethiopia whose language and culture are severely endangered. This innovative study in the African and Ethiopian context attempts to document the language focusing on the indigenous knowledge and vocabulary used for fishing and brewing in order to produce a lasting, multipurpose record of the language. The documentation employs different tools and software to process and digitalize the data.rnBased on a wordlist and other linguistic data obtained from elicitations and observed communicative events it is understood that the language of the Zay is influenced by Amharic and Oromo.rnThe study revealed that due to borrowing and code switching alternative terms in the registers for fishing and brewing are frequently used to denote the same entity. Multilingualism and language shift as well as cross-linguistic influence have a significant impact on the changes in the vocabulary. In the same vein, the unique cultural, historical, and ecological knowledge of the Zay embedded in those two important cultural practices also underwent changes. One of the reasons for these changes is the influences of the dominant cultures on the Zay minority that triggered the adoption of new cultural practices. As a result, the socio-historical importance of fishing and brewing is diminishing.rnThe data collected for this study could lay the ground for further studies, documentation, preservation, revitalization and empowerment of the Zay language and culture based on the preferences of the community.

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