Language

Language, Ethiopia

The main three languages are Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna. Ethiopia is a country with multiethnic where numerous languages are spoken. Recent studies report that 99 languages are spoken in the country. Most of them belong to the Semitic or Cushitic branches of the Afro-Asiatic family. The official language of Ethiopia is Amharigna (Amharic), a Semitic language which is spoken almost everywhere in the country. Amharic descends from Ge'ez, the language of Ancient Axum, which is still used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church today. Ethiopia’s Semitic languages are transcribed in a script that is unique to the country. The alphabet consists over 200 characters, each of which denotes a syllable as opposed to a letter. English, which is used for secondary education, is the most widely spoken European language. Few people speak French and Italian languages.