Demographics of Eritrea - Languages

Languages

Eritrea's population comprises nine ethnic groups, most of whom speak languages from the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. The Semitic languages in Eritrea are Tigre, Tigrinya, the newly-recognized Dahlik, and Arabic (spoken natively by the Rashaida Arabs).

Other Afro-Asiatic languages belonging to the Cushitic branch are also widely spoken in the country. The latter include Afar, Beja, Blin and Saho.

In addition, languages belonging to the Nilo-Saharan language family (Kunama and Nara) are spoken as a mother tongue by the Kunama and Nara Nilotic ethnic minorities that live in the north and northwestern part of the country.

Italian and English are also spoken as working languages, and are used in secondary and university education.

Tigrinya Demonstrative Adjectives
Number Gender Near Far
Singular Masculine እዚ ǝzi ... (እዚ ǝzi) እቲ ǝti ... (እቲ ǝti)
Feminine እዛ ǝza ... (እዚኣ ǝzi’a) እታ ǝta ... (እቲኣ ǝti’a)
Plural Masculine እዞመ ǝzom ... (እዚኦም ǝzi’om) እቶም ǝtom ... (እቲኦም ǝti’om)
Feminine እዘን ǝzän ... (እዚኤን ǝzi’en) እተነ ǝtän ... (እቲኤን ǝti’en)

Read more about this topic:  Demographics Of Eritrea

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