Languages of Ethiopia
Languages of Ethiopia | |
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Foreign | English |
Signed | Ethiopian sign languages |
Keyboard layout |
The languages of Ethiopia include the official languages of Ethiopia, its national and regional languages, and a large number of minority languages, as well as foreign languages.
Overview
Number of languages
According to
Charles A. Ferguson proposed the Ethiopian language area, characterized by shared grammatical and phonological features in 1976. This sprachbund includes the Afroasiatic languages of Ethiopia, not the Nilo-Saharan languages. In 2000, Mauro Tosco questioned the validity of Ferguson's original proposal. There is still no agreement among scholars on this point, but Tosco has at least weakened Ferguson's original claim.[citation needed]
Of the languages spoken in Ethiopia, 91 are living and 1 is extinct. 41 of the living languages are institutional, 14 are developing, 18 are vigorous, 8 are in danger of extinction, and 5 are near extinction.[5]
According to data from 2021 from Ethnologue,[6] the largest first languages are:
- Oromo speakers numbering more than 36 million speakers;[7]
- Amharicspeakers numbering 31,800,000;
- Somali speakers numbering 6,720,000;
- Tigrinya speakers numbering 6,390,000;
- Sidama speakers numbering 4,340,000;
- Wolayttaspeakers numbering 2,380,000;
- Sebat Bet Guragespeakers numbering 2,170,000;
- Afar speakers numbering 1,840,000.
English is the most widely spoken foreign language which is also taught in many schools.[11][1][12]
Languages
Commonly used and official languages
English is the most widely spoken foreign language, the medium of instruction in secondary schools and all tertiary education; federal laws are also published in British English in the Federal Negarit Gazeta including the 1995 constitution.[15]
Amharic was the language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by regional languages such as Oromo, Somali or Tigrinya.[16] While all languages enjoy equal state recognition in the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia[17] and Oromo is the most populous language by native speakers, Amharic is the most populous by number of total speakers.
After the fall of the
Writing systems
In terms of
Special status of Amharic
Amharic has been the official working language of Ethiopian courts and its armed forces, trade and everyday communications since the late 12th century. Although now it is only one of the five official languages of Ethiopia, together with Oromo, Somali, Afar, and Tigrinya – until 2020 Amharic was the only Ethiopian working language of the federal government.[12][29][1][30][31] Amharic is the most widely spoken and written language in Ethiopia. As of 2018, Amharic was spoken by 31.8 million native speakers in Ethiopia[6] with over 25 million secondary speakers in the nation.[6]
Although additional languages are used, Amharic is still predominantly spoken by all ethnic groups in Addis Ababa. Additionally, three million emigrants outside of Ethiopia speak Amharic. Most of the
In
Furthermore, Amharic is considered a
Working languages
The various
Endangered languages
A number of Ethiopian languages are endangered: they may not be spoken in one or two generations and may become extinct, victims of language death, as Weyto, Gafat, and Mesmes have and Ongota very soon will. The factors that contribute to language death are complex, so it is not easy to estimate which or how many languages are most vulnerable. Hudson wrote, "Assuming that a language with fewer than 10,000 speakers is endangered, or likely to become extinct within a generation", there are 22 endangered languages in Ethiopia (1999:96). However, a number of Ethiopian languages never have had populations even that high, so it is not clear that this is an appropriate way to calculate the number of endangered languages in Ethiopia. The real number may be lower or higher. The new language policies after the 1991 revolution have strengthened the use of a number of languages. Publications specifically about endangered languages in Ethiopia include: Appleyard (1998), Hayward (1988), and Zelealem (1998a,b, 2004)
List of languages
Afroasiatic
- Ethiopian Semitic
- North Ethiopic
- Tigrinya language (also in Eritrea)
- Ge'ez language(also in Eritrea:extinct, liturgical)
- South Ethiopic
- Transverse
- Amharic language
- Argobba language
- Harari language
- East Gurage languages
- Silt'e language(Ulbareg, Inneqor, Wolane)
- Zay language
- Outer South Ethiopic
- Gafat language (extinct)
- North Gurage languages
- Soddo language, incl. dialect Goggot (Dobi)
- West Gurage languages
- Chaha(Sebat Bet Gurage)
- Ezha language
- Gumer language
- Gura language
- Inor language
- Gyeto language
- Endegen language
- Mesmes language (extinct)
- Mesqan language
- Muher language
- Transverse
- North Ethiopic
Cushitic
- Cushitic
- Agaw languages
- Awngi language, incl. dialect Kunfal
- Qimant language
- Xamtanga language
- East Cushitic
- Highland East Cushitic languages
- Burji language
- Sidaama-Hadiyya-Kambaata
- Alaba language
- Gedeo language
- Hadiyya language
- Kambaata language
- Libido language
- Sidamo language
- Lowland East Cushitic languages
- Somali language (also in Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, and Kenya)
- Saho-Afar
- Afar language (also in Eritrea and in Djibouti)
- Saho language (also in Eritrea and in Ethiopia spoken by the Irob people)
- Southern Lowland East Cushitic
- Mainstream Lowland East Cushitic
- Omo-Tana
- Arbore language
- Baiso language
- Daasanach language (also in Kenya)
- Oromoid
- Konso language
- Dirasha language
- Oromo language (also in Kenya)
- Omo-Tana
- Transversal Lowland East Cushitic
- Bussa language
- Gawwada language
- Tsamai language
- Mainstream Lowland East Cushitic
- Highland East Cushitic languages
- Agaw languages
Omotic
- Omotic (Afro-Asiatic classification uncertain)
- Aari language
- Anfillo language
- Bambassi language
- Basketo language
- Bench language
- Boro language, also called Shinasha
- Chara language
- Dawro language
- Dime language
- Dizi language
- Dorze language
- Gamo language
- Ganza language
- Gayil language
- Gofa language
- Hamer-Banna
- Hozo language
- Kachama-Ganjule language
- Kafa language
- Karo language
- Koorete language
- Male language
- Melo language
- Nayi language
- Oyda language
- Seze language
- Shekkacho language
- Sheko language
- Wolaytta language
- Yemsa language
- Zayse-Zergulla language
Nilo-Saharan
In Ethiopia, the term "
- Anuak language (also in South Sudan)
- Berta language
- Gumuz language
- Kacipo-Balesi language(also in South Sudan)
- Komo language
- Kunama language (also in Eritrea)
- Kwama language
- Kwegu language
- Majang language
- Me'en language
- Murle language (also in South Sudan)
- Mursi language
- Nuer language (also in South Sudan)
- Nyangatom language
- Opuuo language
- Shabo language
- Suri language
- Uduk language (also in Sudan)
Unclassified
- Weyto language (extinct — could have been Cushitic or Semitic)
- Ongota (moribund— possibly Omotic or an independent branch of Afroasiatic or not Afroasiatic at all)
- Rer Bare language (extinct — maybe Bantu)
References
- ^ a b c Shaban, Abdurahman. "One to five: Ethiopia gets four new federal working languages". Africa News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Glottolog 4.8 - Languages of Ethiopia". glottolog.org. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Languages of Ethiopia". Ethnologue. SIL International. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-99944-55-47-8.
- ^ Ethnologue page on Ethiopian languages
- ^ a b c Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D. "Ethnologue: Ethiopia". Ethnologue. SIL International. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Ethiopia". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ISBN 978-9994455478.
- ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Ethiopia: Information on whether Arabic is used in the Oromo and Ogaden regions, 1 January 1996, Retrieved 19 November 2017
- ^ Grimes, Barbara F.: "Languages of the World", 1992. 12th ed., Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics, p. 248.
- ^ Ethiopia. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- ^ a b "ETHIOPIA TO ADD 4 MORE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES TO FOSTER UNITY". Ventures Africa. Ventures. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Population and Housing Census 2007 – National Statistical" (PDF). Ethiopian Statistics Agency. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ISSN 2194-4024.
A Nilo-Saharan people of the Sudan (BENDER 1975: 63); the 1994 census reported 307 ethnic-group members and 301 mother-tongue speakers. Surely mistakenly, the 2007 census reported 880,818 Shitagna speakers, a number reasonably that for Siltigna
- ^ FDRE. "Federal Negarit Gazeta Establishment Proclamation" (PDF). Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-86537-839-2.
- ^ "Article 5" (PDF). Ethiopian Constitution. WIPO. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Gebremichael, M. (2011). Federalism and conflict management in Ethiopia: case study of Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State. PhD Thesis. United Kingdom: University of Bradford.
- ^ a b "Ethiopia". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "Afar Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Harari Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Tigray Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ JSTOR 23622766. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b Rossi, Leonardo (25 June 2009). "Assaggi da un dizionario di italianismi nel mondo". treccani.it. Istituto Treccani. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ Rodolfo Fattovich, "Akkälä Guzay" in Uhlig, Siegbert, ed. Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz KG, 2003, p. 169.
- ^ Pankhurst, Alula. "Indigenising Islam in Wällo: ajäm, Amharic verse written in Arabic script." Proceedings of the Xlth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa 1991. 1994.
- ^ Andreas Wetter on Arabic script for writing Amharic
- ^ Hayward and Hassan, "The Oromo Orthography of Shaykh Bakri Saṗalō", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 44 (1981), p. 551
- ^ "Ethiopia is adding four more official languages to Amharic as political instability mounts". Nazret. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Meyer, Ronny (2006). "Amharic as lingua franca in Ethiopia". Lissan: Journal of African Languages and Linguistics. 20 (1/2): 117–131 – via Academia.edu.
- ^ Teferra, Anbessa (2013). "Amharic: Political and social effects on English loan words". In Rosenhouse, Judith; Kowner, Rotem (eds.). Globally Speaking: Motives for Adopting English Vocabulary in Other Languages. Multilingual Matters. p. 165.
- ^ "Israel's Ethiopian Jews keep ancient language alive in prayer". Al-Monitor. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ^ "Language Access Act Fact Sheet" (PDF). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Gebremichael, M. (2011). Federalism and conflict management in Ethiopia: case study of Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State. PhD Thesis. United Kingdom: University of Bradford.
- ^ "Afar Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Harari Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Tigray Regional State". Government of Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
Further reading
- Appleyard, David. 1998. Language Death: The Case of Qwarenya (Ethiopia). In Endangered Languages in Africa, edited by Matthias Brenzinger. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
- Ferguson, Charles. 1976. The Ethiopian Language Area. Language In Ethiopia, ed. by M. Lionel Bender, J. Donald Bowen, R.L. Cooper, Charles A. Ferguson, pp. 63–76. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Hayward, Richard J. 1998. The Endangered Languages of Ethiopia: What's at Stake for the Linguist? In Endangered Languages in Africa, edited by Matthias Brenzinger, 17–38. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
- Hudson, Grover. 1999. Linguistic Analysis of the 1994 Ethiopian Census. Northeast African Studies Vol. 6, No. 3 (New Series), pp. 89–108.
- Hudson, Grover. 2004. Languages of Ethiopia and Languages of the 1994 Ethiopian Census. Aethiopica: International Journal of Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies 7: 160–172.
- Leslau, Wolf. 1965. An annotated bibliography of the Semitic languages of Ethiopia. The Hague: Mouton.
- Tosco, Mauro. 2000. Is There an ‘Ethiopian Language Area’? Anthropological Linguistics 42,3: 329–365.
- Unseth, Peter. 1990. Linguistic bibliography of the Non-Semitic languages of Ethiopia. East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University. (Classification charts, pp. 21 ff.)
- Yohannes, Mekonnen Alemu Gebre (2021). "Language Policy in Ethiopia". Language Policy. 24. Contributions by Bianco, Joseph Lo and Peyton, Joy Kreeft. ISSN 1571-5361.
- Zelealem Leyew. 1998a. An Ethiopian Language on the Verge of Extinction. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 134: 69–84.
- Zelealem Leyew. 1998b. Some Structural Signs of Obsolescence in K’emant. In Endangered Languages in Africa. Edited by Matthias Brenzinger. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
- Zelealem Leyew. 2004. The fate of endangered languages in Ethiopia. On the margins of nations: endangered languages and linguistic rights. proceedings of the eighth FEL Conference, Eds. Joan A. Argenter & Robert McKenna Brown, 35–45. Bath: Foundation for Endangered Languages.