Browsing by Author "Bekele Buko"

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    Lexical Changes in the Central Dialect of Oromo
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025-01-01) Bekele Buko; Samuel Handamd
    The study aims lexical changes in the central dialect of Oromo in North Shawa with four specific objectives: identifying lexical changes, exploring their causes, analyzing the frequency of changes across semantic domains, and determining the most impacted semantic domains.The study investigates language change principles using the modern Interdisciplinary Integration Model of language change, Cognitive Linguistics Theory, Lexical Gap Theory, Sociolinguistic Models and Halliday's Functional Theory. A mixed research design was employed, utilizing purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through interviews and elicitation, and analyzed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study identified four primary forms of lexical change: neologism, semantic change, borrowing, and lexical loss. Notably, there is a significant loss in plant and animal related terms, with native words being replaced by scientific and technological terms, especially among the younger generation. Lexical borrowing introduced numerous new words from foreign and Ethiopian languages, primarily Amharic and English, due to linguistic contact. The study also identified linguistic and non-linguistic factors influencing lexical change in the central dialect of Oromo. Changes in words significantly impact technology, education, politics, cloth and style, and traditional material semantic domains largely due to technologicaladvancements. The study reveals that the most prominent change is the introduction of new words (neologisms), followed by the loss of native words. Interestingly, there are no new words in the color category, and no words have been lost in body parts, technology, and education.These findings indicate that lexical changes vary significantly depending on the semantic domain. The study suggests recognizing lexical items as part of societal heritage and advocating for their preservation through cultural dictionaries, history lessons, and publications. It also proposes emphasizing the importance of mass media in disseminating new terminology and promoting collaboration between journalists and the Institute of Oromo Studies (IOS) to enhance the use of the native words in media. Furthermore, the study calls for elders to pass down native vocabulary through storytelling and encourages the younger generation to prioritize the use of native terms over borrowed words.
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    Lexical Changes in the Central Dialect of Oromo
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025-12-01) Bekele Buko; Feda Negesse
    The study aimslexical changes in the central dialect of Oromo in North Shawa with four specific objectives: identifying lexical changes, exploring their causes, analyzing the frequency of changes across semantic domains, and determining the most impacted semantic domains. The study investigates language change principles using the modern Interdisciplinary Integration Model of language change, Cognitive Linguistics Theory, Lexical Gap Theory, Sociolinguistic Models and Halliday's Functional Theory.A mixed research design was employed, utilizing purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected through interviews and elicitation, and analyzed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The study identified four primary forms of lexical change: neologism, semantic change, borrowing, and lexical loss. Notably, there is a significant loss in plant and animal related terms, with native words being replaced by scientific and technological terms, especially among the younger generation. Lexical borrowing introduced numerous new words from foreign and Ethiopian languages, primarily Amharic and English, due to linguistic contact. The study also identified linguistic and non-linguistic factors influencing lexical change in the central dialect of Oromo. Changes in words significantly impact technology, education, politics, cloth and style, and traditional material semantic domains largely due to technological advancements. The study reveals that the most prominent change is the introduction of new words (neologisms), followed by the loss of native words. Interestingly, there are no new words in the color category, and no words have been lost in body parts, technology, and education. These findings indicate that lexical changes vary significantly depending on the semantic domain. The study suggests recognizing lexical items as part of societal heritage and advocating for their preservation through cultural dictionaries, history lessons, and publications. It also proposes emphasizing the importance of mass media in disseminating new terminology and promoting collaboration between journalists and the Institute of Oromo Studies (IOS) to enhance the use of the native words in media. Furthermore, the study calls for elders to pass down native vocabulary through storytelling and encourages the younger generation to prioritize the use of native terms over borrowed words.
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    Transition from Afaan Oromoo to English Medium of Instruction in Early Grade 9: The Case of West Shoa, Jeldu Woreda two High Schools.
    (Addis Ababa University, 2012-02) Bekele Buko ; Gideon Cohen
    The purpose of the study was to explore teachers’, students’ and parents’ attitude toward the transition from Afaan Oromoo to English medium of instruction in early grade 9. For the purpose, directors, teachers, students and parents were the main subjects of the study. The method employed to gather the necessary data were interview, questionnaire and focus group discussion. The data collected were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. To analyze the quantitative data collected using frequency counts and their percentage were used. The finding of the study confirmed that the attempt made to prepare teachers to teach in the new medium of instruction was so weak and the effort done to prepare this weakness by preparing workshops and seminars was insufficient. Almost all teachers and students were found to have unfavorable attitude whereas few parents had a sense of agreement in using Afaan Oromoo medium of instruction for grade 7 and 8. But all teachers and students and most of the parents agreed to use English language as medium of instruction starting from grade 7. The participation of teachers in activities such as evaluation and workshop attending to build their capacity was low. It was again found out that until 1995 E.C there was weak interaction and information exchange system between and among the different levels of educational offices. But since 1995 E.C the interaction and information exchange system is showing progress. Moreover, the result of study revealed that there was little community support and involvement in school related activities. On the basis of these findings, awareness and skill development by training and retraining, improving interaction and teachers contributions, improving quality of teaching materials and encouraging teachers and education officials to conduct were recommended