Research Projects

Researchers in the Academy of Ethiopian Languages and Cultures (AELC) have been engaged in various projects that are related to the study of the languages and cultures of people living in different regions of Ethiopia. Some of the projects are stated below:

የተቀናጁ የምርምር ፕሮጄክቶች (Thematic Research Projects)

Project Title: Description and Documentation of Languages and Cultures in Kafa Zone

Period of the Research Grant: January 2017 – January 2020

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Mulugeta Seyoum (PhD)

 

Participants of the Project: Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)

• Desta Amare (PhD)
• Frehiwot Bayu (PhD)
• Girma Tesfaye (PhD candidate)
• Abebe Keno (PhD candidate)
• Yenealem Aredo (PhD)
• Melkeneh Seid (PhD candidate)
• Haregewoin Kebede

Project Sub-Sections:

• Nayi – Amharic – English dictionary
• Pedagogical Grammar of Nayi Language
• Documenting and Describing the Oral traditions and Material Culture of Nayi
• Chara – Amharic – English Dictionary
• Pedagogical Grammar of Chara Language
• Documenting and Describing the Oral traditions and Material Culture of Chara
• Kafi Noonoo – Amharic – English Dictionary
• Pedagogical Grammar of Kafi Noonoo
• Documenting and Describing the Oral traditions and Material Culture of Kafa

Status: Successfully completed

Project Title: Descriptions and Documentations of the Endangered Elements of Language, Oral History, and Material Culture of Gurage

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2018 – January, 2021

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Frehiwot Bayu (PhD)

Participants of the Project:

• Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)
• Getachew Dewi (PhD)
• Yenealem Aredo (PhD)
• Awulachewu Shumneka (PhD)

Project Sub-Sections:

• Describing and Documenting Gurage Oral History
• Documenting and Describing the Material Culture of the Gurage: Folk Architecture and Falk Food ways in Focus
• Description of Common Grammatical features of Gurage Language Varieties

Status: Final Writing-up

Project Title: Documenting and Describing the Oral Narratives and Material Culture of Me’enit and Dizi

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2018 – January, 2021

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Desta Amare (PhD)

Participants of the Project:

• Mulugeta Seyoum (PhD)
• Frehiwot Bayu (PhD)
• Girma Tesfaye (PhD candidate)
• Awulachewu Shumneka (PhD)
• Tsegay W/Mariyam (PhD)

Project Sub-Sections:

• Dizi – Amharic – English Dictionary
• Pedagogical Grammar of Dizi Language
• Description and Documentation of the Oral Narratives and Material Cultures of Dizi
• Description and Documentation of the Oral Narratives and Material Cultures of Me’eniti
• Me’enit – Amharic – English Dictionary
• Pedagogical Grammar of Me’enit Language

Status: Final Writing-up

Project Title: Regional Overview of Mother tongue Education Implementation: Language Planning, Quality of Education, and Federalism in SNNPR

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2019 – January, 2022

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Ato Yonas Bekele

Participants of the Project:

• Mulugeta Seyoum (PhD)
• Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)
• Zinawork Assefa (PhD candidate)
• Ato Anduamlak Yibelital

Project Sub-Sections:

• Examining Language Planning and Implementation in the SNNPR
• The Nexus between Mother tongue Education and Quality of Education
• Mother tongue Education Implementation and Federalism

Status: In Progress

Project Title: The Role of Core Ethiopian Cultural Values for Nation Building

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2018 – January, 2021

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Gemechu Kedir (PhD)

Participants of the Project:

• Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)
• Frehiwot Bayu (PhD)
• Haileyesus Muluken (PhD)
• Getachew Dewi (PhD)

Project Sub-Sections:

• The Role of Religion for Nation Building
• The Role of Socio-cultural Practices and Values for Nation Building
• The Role of Rituals for Nation Building

Status: Final Writing-up

Project Title: Description and Documentation of Gadaa Cultural Terms: Irreechaa in focus

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2021 – January, 2023

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Abebe Keno (PhD candidate)

Participants of the Project:

• Desta Amare (PhD)
• Tilahun Telila (PhD)
• Desta Desalegn (PhD)
• Dejene Gemechu (PhD)
• Ato Dheressa Dhebu
• Ato Abera Kassaye
• Ato Alemayehu Haile
• Ato Girma Nemera

Project Sub-Sections:

• The Linguistic Description and Documentation of Gada Terms
• Folkloric and Anthropological Description and Documentation of Gada Terms
• Historical Account of Gada Terms

Status: In Progress

Project Title: Nexus between Self Recognition and Endangerment: Preserving the Indigenous Language and Culture of Zay Community

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2021 – January, 2023

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Abeba Amare (PhD)

Participants of the Project:

• Tsegay W/Mariyam (PhD)
• Desta Amare (PhD)
• Yenealem Aredo (PhD)
• Netsanet G/Michael (PhD)

Project Sub-Sections:

• Documenting and Describing culture of Zay people
• Description and Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge: A Focus in Zay Community in Material Culture
• Documentation and Description of Indigenous Conflict Management System in Zay Community
• Upgraded Zay Lexicographic Compilation: Zay – Oromo – Amharic – English Dictionary
• Oral Chronicles of the Zay community: Reconstructing Life and Occupational History and Myth of Origin

Status: In Progress

Newly Granted Thematic Researches (2021/22)

1) Project Title: Cultural Values, Moral Education and Social Relationships: Exploring Multidisciplinary Interventions to Enhance Peaceful Behavior among University Students

Period of the Research Grant: September, 2021 – September, 2024

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)

2) Project Title: The Epistemological and Pedagogical Role of Geez Literature and its Teaching Practice for Modern Education, Ethics and Peace Building in Ethiopia

Period of the Research Grant: September, 2021 – September, 2024

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Sirgwu Gelaw (PhD)

3) Project Title: Socio-cultural and Traditional Practices in the Promotion and Scaling of Cluster Farming

Period of the Research Grant: September, 2021 – September, 2024

Granter: Addis Ababa University, Thematic Research Project Fund

Principal Investigator: Zinawork Assefa (PhD)

ችግር ፈቺ የምርምር ስራዎች (Adaptive Problem-Solving Researches)

 

Period of the Research Grant: January, 2021 – January, 2022

Granter: Addis Ababa University: Adaptive Problem-Solving Research Project Fund

Status: Completed

Title: Mutual Intelligibility Level of the Nine Aari Dialects: Based on Phonological and Grammatical (Morphological and Syntactical) Comparison

Principal Investigator: Melkeneh Seid

Title: The Sociolinguistic Aspects of Halaba Traditional Personal Names

Principal Investigator: Rawda Siraj

Title: Phonological Description of Afa Kusumiya

Principal Investigator: Wondwosen Tesfaye (PhD)

Title: Assigning one Language for Primary Education among the Gurage Variants: Challenges and Prospects

Principal Investigator: Alemayehu Gurmu (PhD)

Title: Ethiopic Script: A Potential to be Writing System for all East Highland Cushitic Languages

Principal Investigator: Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)

Title: Modernization in the Development of Tigrinya and its Lexical Elaboration

Principal Investigator: Tsegay W/Mariyam (PhD)

Title: Zay Language Orthography (Final Stage)

Principal Investigator: Gebre Bizuneh (PhD)

Title: Study of Blood Feud Culture and Its Settlement Mechanisms in North-West Amhara Region: Tach – Armachiho Woreda

Principal Investigator: Mesfin Messele

Title: Exploring Inclusion within Exclusion: The Experiences of the Mana after Conversion to Evangelical Christianity in Dawro, Southern Ethiopia

Principal Investigator: Samuel Tibebe (PhD)

Title: Analysis of Number System and Finalize a Trilingual Dictionary Compilation in Hamar

Principal Investigator: Abebe Keno

Period of the Research Grant: September, 2021 – June, 2022

Granter: Addis Ababa University: Adaptive Problem-Solving Research Project Fund

Status: Will be completed by the end of June 2022

t The Ethiopian Indigenous Interpretational Techniques of the Texts: The Case of Exodus at Traditional Schools

Principal Investigator: Tsehay Ademe

t Phonological Description and Documentation of Yam

Principal Investigator: Teshome Yehualashet (PhD)

t The Role of Womanno in Conflict Resolution among the Kistane of SNNPR

Principal Investigator: Alemayehu Gurmu (PhD)

t Shinasha Number Words

Principal Investigator: Gebre Bizuneh (PhD)

t Main Problems in Using Latin Script for Writing Wolaytta and Practical Solutions Principal Investigator: Alemayehu Dogamo (PhD)

t Comparative Study of Konsoid Group

Principal Investigator: Wondwosen Tesfaye (PhD)

t The Impact of Cultural Values on Girls’ Participation in Education in the Amhara Society: The Case of South Gondar

Principal Investigator: Mesfin Messele

t Some Analysis on Phonology, Morphology, Pronouns and Adjectives of Erbore

Principal Investigator: Melkeneh Seid

t Availability and Accessibility of Mass Media and their Contents for Deaf Ethiopian Sign Language Users

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Demissie

t The Role of Geez Literature for Religious Conflict: The Case of East Gojjam

Principal Investigator: Sirgwu Gelaw (PhD)

Collaborative Research

Project Title: Bilingual Dictionary of Legal and Justice Terms

Period of the Research Grant: January 2021 – December, 2023

Granter: Justice for All-Prison Fellowship Ethiopia; and

FDRE Justice and law research and Training Institute

Principal Investigator: Yohannes Adigeh (PhD)

General Supervisors:

• Ambassador Degifie Bula, Minister
• Pastor Daniel G/sillasie
• Tasew Weldehanna, Professor

Participants of the Project:

• Zinawork Assefa (PhD)
• Gebre Bizuneh (PhD)
• Elizabeth Demissie (PhD candidate)
• Alemayehu Gurmu (PhD)
• Mulugeta Seyoum (PhD)
• Awulachewu Shumneka (PhD)
• Simeneh Kiros (PhD)
• Muradu Abdo (PhD)
• Ato Belayhun Yirga
• Ato Zenebe Burka
• Ato Abraham Yohannes
• Ato Hailemichael Melaku
• Project coordinators: Wubishet Shiferaw (PhD)
• Ato Mitiku Mada
• Ato Zekariyas Erkola
• Ato Abebaw Getaneh

Project Sub-Sections:

• Collecting Civil Law terms and compile Dictionary
• Collecting Commercial and Administrative law terms and compile Dictionary
• Collecting Criminal and Labor law Terms and compile Dictionary

Status: In Progress

የብሔር፣ ብሔረሰቦችና ህዝቦች ፕሮፋይል ማዘጋጀት

• ከባህልና ቱሪዝም፣ የህዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት እና በአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ትብበር የሚሠራ ፕሮጅክት (የሕግ ማዕቀፍ ወጥቶለት የተጠናቀቀ ሲሆን ስራው የሚጀመርበት ጊዜ እየተጠበቀ ነው፡፡)

On-Going and New Researches on Various Issues by Individual Members

• Translation of the Book of Bereleam (Principal Investigator: Ato Tadesse Esubalew)
• ዘጸአት ግእዝ በግእዝ ትርጓሜን ወደ አማርኛ መመለስ (Principal Investigator: Tsehay Ademe)
• Making Tri-lingual Dictionary of Masqan (Principal Investigator: Teshome Yehualashet (PhD))
• የአርሲ ኦሮሞ የባህል መዝገበ ቃላት ጥራዝ አራት (Principal Investigator: Gemechu Kedir (PhD))

Lexicographic Projects supported by General Fund

• የአማርኛ ልሳነዋሕድ መዝገበ-ቃላት 2ኛ እትም ዝግጅት
• የኦሮምኛ ልሳነዋሕድ መዝገበ-ቃላት 3ኛ እትም ዝግጅት
• የትግርኛ ልሳነዋሕድ መዝገበ-ቃላት 2ኛ እትም ዝግጅት
• የወላይትኛ ልሳነዋህድ መዝገበ-ቃላት 1ኛ እትም ክለሳ
• የሲዳምኛ ልሳነዋሕድ መዝገበ-ቃላት 2ኛ እትም ዝግጅት