Thread: Cushite

Reference: awl (aboutworldlanguages)
Cushitic Branch | About World Languages


Cushitic languages form a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They are spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti — countries located in the Horn of Africa.

Somali is the only Cushitic language that enjoys an official status. It is one of the national languages of Somalia, along with Arabic and English.

Oromo is a trade language used in Ethiopia for official government purposes, commerce, as well as by the public media and the educational system up to the eighth grade. It is also used in a variety of literature.

__________________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Cushitic (47 languages)

Somali 12.6 million Somalia
Oromo West Central 8.9 million Ethiopia
Oromo Eastern 4.5 million Ethiopia
Oromo, Borana-Arsi-Guji 3.8 million Ethiopia
Sidamo 1.9 million Ethiopia
Afar 1.4 million Ethiopia
Bedawi (Beja) 1.2 million Sudan
Hadiyya 924,000 Ethiopia
Gedeo 639,000 Ethiopia
Kambaata 606,000 Ethiopia
Maay 595,000 Somalia

Because West Cushitic languages have few vocabulary items in common with the other Cushitic tongues, some scholars consider them to form a separate branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, called Omotic. The table below lists the most populous Omotic (West Cushitic Languages).

West Cushitic (Omotic) (28 languages)
Gamo-Gofa-Dawro 1.2 million Ethiopia
Wolaytta 1.2 million Ethiopia
Kafa 569,626 Ethiopia
Bench 174,000 Ethiopia
Aari 158,857 Ethiopia
Koorete 104,000 Ethiopia