Gurage language

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June 29, 2026

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The Gurage language is a Semitic language spoken in southern Ethiopia. It belongs to the Ethio-Semitic group, which are languages spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Gurage languages are not always mutually intelligible and some have been influenced by neighboring Cushitic languages. The Gurage people, who speak these languages, are an ethnolinguistic group originating from the Tigray region of Ethiopia. They are primarily settled agriculturalists, with their staple crop being the Ethiopian banana (Ensete ventricosum).123

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Ethio-Semitic languages
central Eritrea; Argobba; Hareri; and Gurage. Although some scholars once considered the so-called Ethiopic languages to be a branch within Semitic, these languages are now referred to as Ethio-Semitic. They are generally grouped together with the dialects of the South Arabic language as Southern Peripheral Semitic or South Arabic-Ethiopic.
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central Eritrea; Argobba; Hareri; and Gurage. Although some scholars once considered the so-called Ethiopic languages to be a branch within Semitic, these languages are now referred to as Ethio-Semitic. They are generally grouped together with the dialects of the South Arabic language as Southern Peripheral Semitic or South Arabic-Ethiopic.
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Ethiopia
Ethnic groups and languages
Amharic, Gurage, and Hareri. Geʿez, the ancient language of the Aksumite empire, is used today only for religious writings and worship in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Tigrinya is native to the northeastern part of the country. Amharic is one of the country’s principal languages and is…
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Amharic, Gurage, and Hareri. Geʿez, the ancient language of the Aksumite empire, is used today only for religious writings and worship in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Tigrinya is native to the northeastern part of the country. Amharic is one of the country’s principal languages and is…
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