4.1.8 Additional Notes
During the interviewing process, an attempt was made to clarify the various names used to refer to the Boro people and the Borna language. Shinicho or Dangabo are Oromo names for Boro. All names
including Shinasha are neutral except Dangabo. Gayibora is a Borna word meaning ‘highlander’. It is used to refer to the Boro of Wenbera and Dangur Michael. Taribora means ‘farmer’; it has nothing to do
with dialects. Warwibora means ‘lowlander’, and does not necessarily refer to the Boro of Dibat’e and Bulen.
In Dangur and Wenbera, the link between those two areas and Guba became apparent. With respect to the birthplace of the Dangur interviewees’ parents, eight mothers and six fathers were born in
Wenbera, one mother and father in Bulen, and two fathers in Guba. Two Wenbera men currently in their early sixties came to Minjo from Guba when they were small children. According to these men, no Boro
live in Guba anymore. Therefore it seems that there is no longer a Guba dialect of Borna, though it was likely related to the current Dangur and Wenbera varieties. Some Dangur interviewees, however,
mentioned that there are Boro people in Dangirar, Sudan.
4.2 Sentence Repetition Test SRT
The Oromo SRT was administered in the following four areas: Mat’a Ma-Bu and Benosh Be in Bulen Woreda, Minjo Mi-We in Wenbera Woreda, and Girz Gi in Dibat’e Woreda. Table 1 lists the mean SRT
scores and the standard deviations within each category.
Table 1. Oromo SRT scores
Category Mean
Standard Deviation
Male 23.71
11.11 Female
18.27 12.16
Ages 15–24 19.70
12.65 Ages 25–34
24.71 12.39
Ages 35+ 18.97
10.15 Ma-Bu
27.16 9.06
Be 7.27
5.27 Mi-We
28.57 8.09
Gi 14.41
10.39 Ma-Bu + Be
19.87 12.47
Ma-Bu + Mi-We 28.02
8.41 Be + Gi
12.45 9.75
Table 2 notes the percentage of people tested in each category who scored 25 or lower on the Oromo SRT. A 25 or less represents a proficiency level of 2+ or lower. The highlighted cells represent
categories in which less than two-thirds of the test subjects scored 25 or lower, indicating a significant proportion of that group with higher proficiency.
Table 2. Oromo SRT proficiency level
Population 15–24
25–34 35+
All Ages
Male 46.7
28.6 62.5
46.7 Female
80.0 50.0
73.3 68.2
Male Female 63.3
39.3 67.7
57.3
Mata-Bulen
Male 0.0
0.0 60.0
23.0 Female
100.0 0.0
100.0 66.7
Male Female 50.0
0.0 66.7
36.8
Benosh
Male 100.0
NA NA
100.0 Female
100.0 100.0
100.0 100.0
Male Female 100.0
100.0 100.0
100.0
Minjo-Wenbera
Male 20.0
0.0 33.3
10.0 Female
60.0 20.0
40.0 40.0
Male Female 40.0
11.1 36.4
30.0
Girz
Male 80.0
80.0 100.0
86.7 Female
80.0 75.0
80.0 78.6
Male Female 80.0
77.8 90.0
82.8
Mata-Bulen + Benosh
Male 40.0
0.0 60.0
33.3 Female
100.0 60.0
100.0 86.7
Male Female 70.0
30.0 80.0
60.0
Mata-Bulen + Minjo-Wenbera
Male 12.5
0.0 45.5
21.4 Female
75.0 14.3
50.0 47.6
Male Female 43.8
6.3 47.1
32.7
Benosh + Girz
Male 85.7
80.0 100.0
88.2 Female
85.7 85.7
88.9 87.0
Male Female 85.7
83.3 92.9
87.5
4.3 Recorded Text Test RTT
The Amharic RTT was administered in the following four areas: Mat’a Ma-Bu and Benosh Be in Bulen Woreda, Girz Gi in Dibat’e Woreda and Mambuk Da in Dangur Woreda. Table 3 lists the mean RTT
scores and the standard deviations within each category.
Table 3. Amharic RTT scores
Category Mean
Standard Deviation
Population 79.45
23.80 Male
88.57 12.60
Female 67.10
29.46 Ages 15-24
88.70 15.46
Ages 25-34 74.74
24.58 Ages 35+
75.48 26.94
Ma-Bu 82.35
22.78 Be
54.60 37.60
Gi 84.29
12.89 Da
88.67 8.34
No Formal Ed. 66.06
29.04 Some Formal Ed.
90.50 8.76
Uneducated women in non-Amhara areas 38.18
28.92 Uneducated women in Amhara areas
72.50 13.89
4.4 Wordlist