Ethiopian Semitic languages
Encyclopedia
Ethiopian Semitic is a language group, which together with Old South Arabian
forms the Western branch of the South Semitic
languages. The languages are spoken in both Ethiopia
and Eritrea
. Some linguists have begun calling this group "Afro-Semitic" to avoid the exclusive focus on Ethiopia, but its use is not widespread.
While focused on Semitic languages as the only branch of the broader Afroasiatic languages that has its distribution outside Africa, a recent study proposed through the use of Bayesian computational phylogenetic techniques that "contemporary Ethiosemitic languages of Africa reflect a single introduction of early Ethiosemitic from southern Arabia approximately 2800 years ago", and that this single introduction of Ethiosemitic underwent "Rapid Diversification" within Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Old South Arabian
Old South Arabian is the term used to describe four extinct, closely related languages spoken in the far southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. There were a number of other Sayhadic languages , of which very little evidence survived, however...
forms the Western branch of the South Semitic
South Semitic
South Semitic is a commonly accepted branch of the Semitic languages. Semitic itself is a branch of the larger Afro-Asiatic language family found in Africa and Asia....
languages. The languages are spoken in both Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. Some linguists have begun calling this group "Afro-Semitic" to avoid the exclusive focus on Ethiopia, but its use is not widespread.
While focused on Semitic languages as the only branch of the broader Afroasiatic languages that has its distribution outside Africa, a recent study proposed through the use of Bayesian computational phylogenetic techniques that "contemporary Ethiosemitic languages of Africa reflect a single introduction of early Ethiosemitic from southern Arabia approximately 2800 years ago", and that this single introduction of Ethiosemitic underwent "Rapid Diversification" within Ethiopia and Eritrea.
- North Ethiopic
- Ge'ezGe'ez languageGe'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
(Ethiopic) – extinct, liturgical use in Ethiopian Orthodox and Eritrean Orthodox Churches and by the Beta IsraelBeta IsraelBeta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
. Tigrinya and maybe Tigre descend from Ge'ez - TigrinyaTigrinya languageTigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...
- TigreTigre languageFor other uses please see Tigre Tigre is a Semitic language, which, along with Tigrinya, is believed to be one of direct descendants of the extinct Ge'ez language...
- DahlikDahlik languageDahalik is a language spoken exclusively in Eritrea off the coast of Massawa, on three islands in the Dahlak Archipelago: Dahlak Kebir, Nora and Dehil...
– "newly discovered"
- Ge'ez
- South EthiopicSouth Ethiopian Semitic languagesSouth Ethiopian Semitic is a group of group of Semitic languages of Ethiopia that include Amharic and the Gurage languages.-Languages:* Transversal**Amharic–Argobba*** Amharic – national language of Ethiopia*** Argobba** Harari – East Gurage*** Harari...
(Amharic and GurageGurageGurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
)