Intergroup Communication Among Gurage : A Study on Intelligibility, Inter-lingual Comprehension and Accommodation

Inter-group communication among Gurage describes the interactions between social variables, such as ethnicity and language use, which is affected by level of intelligibility, inter-lingual comprehension, level of intra(inter)-group accommodation, and attitude to languages and the speakers. The book measures degree of intelligibility because of inherent shared linguistic structures, and due to contact and learning. A mixed methods research was used so that data and findings from qualitative and quantitative methods were triangulated to increase validity and attain some degree of reliability. The Inter-lingual level was hierarchically clustered, with which a possible language use options were provided for language planners and decision makers in the Gurage Zone. It was suggested that a planned composite of Mesqan and a Central West Gurage language varieties, Cheha, Ezha or Gumer can best serve as a lingua franca in the Gurage Zone. The methodology and models developed in this book can help in developing a theory of iner-group communication.