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Which Semitic languages are spoken in Ethiopia?
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Semitic languages
Distribution of the Semitic languages.
The Semitic languages spoken in Ethiopia, collectively referred to as Ethio-Semitic languages, include several distinct tongues. These languages are part of the Afro-Asiatic language family and have historically been influenced by neighboring Cushitic languages.123
The primary Ethio-Semitic languages include:
- Amharic: One of the principal languages of modern Ethiopia, spoken primarily in the central highlands.13
- Tigrinya: Spoken by the Tigray people in northern Ethiopia.14
- Gurage: A group of languages spoken in the region south and west of Addis Ababa.12
- Hareri: A language associated with the city of Harar.1
- Argobba: Another language within this group.1
Additionally, Ge'ez serves as the ancient, classical language of Ethiopia and remains the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While Tigré is also an Ethio-Semitic language, it is primarily spoken in northwestern Eritrea and Sudan rather than Ethiopia.135