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Score Ethiopia

Guide to Ethiopia

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Information supplied by the Bradt Guide To Ethiopia third edition

Some 70 languages are spoken in Ethiopia, most of them belonging to the Semitic or Cushitic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family. The most important Semitic languages are Amharigna (Amharic) and Tigrigna of northern Ethiopia. They both descend from Ge'ez, the language of Ancient Axum, which is still used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church today.

Amharigna is the lingua franca in most parts of the country that are likely to be visited by tourists.

Ethiopia's Semitic languages are transcribed in a script that is unique to the country. This consists of over 200 characters, each of which denotes a syllable as opposed to a letter.

Cushitic languages are dominant in southern and eastern Ethiopia and are used by the Oromo and Somali peoples. Cushitic speakers use the same Roman alphabet that we do.

In the Omo River Valley a localised group of languages of Afro-Asiatic origin is spoken. These are known as Omotic languages, and are quite closely affiliated to the Cushitic group.

English, which is used for secondary education, is the most widely spoken European language. French and Italian are occasionally heard.

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