View source for Social:Mesmes language

{{Short description|Extinct Semitic language of Ethiopia}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Mesmes
|nativename= 
|states=Ethiopia
|extinct=ca. 2000
|familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
|fam2=Semitic
|fam3=[[Social:West Semitic languages|West Semitic]]
|fam4=South Semitic
|fam5=[[Social:Ethiopian Semitic languages|Ethiopic]]
|fam6=[[Social:Ethiopian Semitic languages|South Ethiopic]]
|fam7=[[Social:Ethiopian Semitic languages|Outer South Ethiopic]]
|fam8=West Gurage
|iso3=mys
|glotto=mesm1243
|glottorefname=Mesmes
}}

The '''Mesmes language''' is an [[Social:Extinct language|extinct]] West Gurage language, one of the [[Social:Ethiopian Semitic languages|Ethiopian Semitic languages]] spoken in Ethiopia. There are still many people who claim the Mesmes ethnic identity, but none who speak the language.  The last speaker of the language was interviewed by a [[Social:Language survey|language survey]] team when he was approximately 80 years old. He had not spoken the language for 30 years, having nobody to speak it with since his brother died.

The Mesmes have [[Social:Language shift|shifted]] to speaking the [[Social:Hadiyya language|Hadiyya language]]. However, they still maintain some cultural distinctives, including their own style of  house architecture.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

The comparative method has shown that the language is most closely related to the Inor variety of Gurage.<ref>Ahland (2010), p. 88</ref>

A study of the phonology of Mesmes has shown evidence of [[Social:Rhinoglottophilia|rhinoglottophilia]].<ref>Ahland, Michael. "Nasal spreading, rhinoglottophilia and the genesis of a non-etymological nasal consonant in Mesmes." In ''Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society'', vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 13-24. 2005.</ref>

== References ==
*Ahland, Michael Bryan. (2010). ''Language death in Mesmes''. Dallas: SIL International and the University of Texas at Arlington.
*Bustorf, Dirk. (2007). "Mäsmäs”, in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 3: D-Ha, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p.&nbsp;838-39.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Extinct languages of Africa]]



{{Sourceattribution|Mesmes language}}