Political Impediments and Opportunities that Facilitated the Fro-and-back Shift of Indigenous Language in Wolaita and Its Effects on overall Identities of the Nation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate both negative political obstacles and fertile political situations that hampered or facilitated the growth of Wolaita language and its effects on overall identities of the Nation. The subjects used for the current study were 8 elders for interview selected by purposive sampling and other 1000 people selected by availability sampling from four selected Woredas of Wolaita Zone for filling questinnaire and 40 of them for focused group dicussion (FGD). The descriptive survey research design was used to conduct this study by using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis. The result indicated that there were various political factors that facilitated the fro-shift of Wolaita language (from Wolaita to Amharic) in the three successive regimes (Menellik, Hailesilassie and Dergue) which highly threatened the overall identity (history, culture, heritage and indigenous wisdom) of Wolaita Nation. Before conquest of Independent Wolaita by Menelillik and after downfall of Dergue; Wolaita language has got fertile political landscape for growth. However, the practical language growth in the mentioned periods has been too limited. Based on these findings, therefore, different projects of revitalization are recommended for the maintenance of Wolaita language: awareness training on the use of Wolaita language, development of a (creative) writing culture, establishment of school-based language revitalization project, planning of family-based language revitalization project and establishment of series, deep and multifaceted training and research projects that involve linguists and language experts.