Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Languages of Eritrea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eritrea is generally considered to have nine ethno-linguistic groups. Each of these has their own language: Afar, Arabic (spoken by the Rashaida), Beja (spoken by the Hedareb), Blin, Kunama, Nara, Saho, Tigre and Tigrinya.
Eritrea does not have any official languages but English, Tigrinya, and Arabic are languages which are widely used in official communication. Tigrinya and Arabic were the official languages from 1952 to 1956 and continue to be the foremost second languages, Tigrinya among the Christians and Arabic among the Muslims.
As part of a gradual nullification of Eritrean autonomy under Ethiopian rule, Amharic became the official language in 1956. Today it is spoken predominately by people of Eritrean descent who were forced from their homes in Ethiopia.
A policy of primary school instruction being available in the mother tongue has met with variable success (Woldemikael, 2003).
Ge'ez is the liturgical language of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church.
Contents |
Nilotic languages belong to the Nilo-Saharan language family while Cushitic and Semitic languages belong to the Afro-Asiatic language family.
- Beja, spoken by the Hedareb (sometimes classified as an independent branch of the Afro-Asiatic family)
- East Cushitic languages:
- Central Cushitic languages:
- North Ethiopic languages (South Semitic):
- Tigre
- Tigrinya
- Dahlik, a newly discovered language spoken on the Dahlak Archipelago
- Central Semitic languages:
- Woldemikael, Tekle M (April 2003). "Language, Education, and Public Policy in Eritrea Language, Education, and Public Policy in Eritrea". African Studies Review. Retrieved on 2007-01-27.
- Languages in Eritrea
- Ethnologue entry for Eritrea
- Language Policy and Education
- PanAfrican L10n page on Eritrea
Algeria • 
Bahrain • 
Egypt • 
Iraq • 
Israel • 
Jordan • 
Kuwait • 
Lebanon • 
Malta • 
Mauritania • 
Morocco • 
Oman • 
Palestine • 
Qatar • 
Saudi Arabia • 
Sudan (excluding 
Southern Sudan) • 
Syria • 
Tunisia • 
United Arab Emirates • 
Western Sahara • 
Yemen
Northwest Semitic (Aramaic and Hebrew)
