Sheko language
| Sheko | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Ethiopia |
| Region | Bench Maji Zone, Kafa region |
Native speakers | 39,000 (2007 census) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | she |
| Glottolog | shek1245 |
| ELP | Sheko |
Sheko is an Omotic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken in the area between Tepi and Mizan Teferi in western Ethiopia, in the Sheko district in the Bench Maji Zone. The 2007 census lists 38,911 speakers; the 1998 census listed 23,785 speakers, with 13,611 identified as monolinguals.
Sheko, together with the Dizi and Nayi languages, is part of a cluster of languages variously called "Maji" or "Dizoid".
The language is notable for its retroflex consonants (Aklilu Yilma 1988), a striking feature shared with closely related Dizi and nearby (but not closely related) Bench (Breeze 1988).