The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They include Arabic, Amharic, Aramaic, Hebrew, and numerous other ancient and modern languages. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Malta, and in large immigrant and expatriate communities in North America, Europe, and Australasia. The terminology was first used in the 1780s by members of the Göttingen school of history, who derived the name from Shem, one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis.
The Gurage are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. They inhabit the Gurage Zone, a fertile, semi-mountainous region in central Ethiopia, about 125 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa, bordering the Awash River in the north, the Gibe River, a tributary of the Omo River, to the southwest, and Hora-Dambal in the east.
Ethiopian Semitic is a family of languages spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan. They form the western branch of the South Semitic languages, itself a sub-branch of Semitic, part of the Afroasiatic language family.
Chaha or Cheha is a Gurage language spoken in central Ethiopia, mainly within the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. It is also spoken by Gurage settlers in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa. Chaha is known to many phonologists and morphologists for its very complex morphophonology.
The languages of Ethiopia include the official languages of Ethiopia, its national and regional languages, and a large number of minority languages, as well as foreign languages.
Inor, sometimes called Ennemor, is an Afroasiatic language spoken in central Ethiopia. One of the Gurage languages, it is mainly spoken within the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, as well as by speakers of the language who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa. In addition to the morphological complexity that is common to all Semitic languages, Inor exhibits the very complex morphophonology characteristic of West Gurage languages.
Ezhana Wolene was one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This woreda was named after two of the sub-groups of the Sebat Bet Gurage, the Ezha and the Wolene-Worriro. Part of the Gurage Zone, Ezhana Wolene was bordered on the south by Gumer, on the west by Cheha, on the north by Goro, on the northeast by Kokir Gedebano Gutazer, and on the east by Meskanena Mareko. The major town in Ezhana Wolene was Agenda. It was divided for Ezha and Muhor Na Aklil woredas.
Meskanena Mareko was one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gurage Zone, Meskanena Mareko was bordered on the south by Silte, on the southwest by Gumer, on the west by Ezhana Wolene, on the northwest by Kokir Gedebano Gutazer, on the north by Sodo, and on the east by the Oromia Region. Towns in Meskanena Mareko included Butajira and Inseno. Meskanena Mareko was divided for Mareko and Meskane woredas and Butajira town.
Gumer is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after one of the sub-groups of the Sebat Bet Gurage, the Gumer. Part of the Gurage Zone, Gumer is bordered on the southeast by the Silt'e Zone, on the southwest by Geta, on the northwest by Cheha, and on the north by Ezha. Towns in Gumer include Arek'it and B'ole. Geta and Alicho Werero woredas were separated from Gumer.
Cheha is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after one of the sub-groups of the Sebat Bet Gurage, the Cheha. Part of the Gurage Zone, Cheha is bordered on the south by Enemorina Eaner, on the west by the Oromia Region, on the north by the Wabe River which separates it from Abeshge and Kebena, on the east by Ezha, and on the southeast by Gumer and Geta. The administrative center for Cheha is Endibir; other towns include Gubre.
Enemorina Eaner is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named in part after one of the sub-groups of the Sebat Bet Gurage, the Enemor, who are first mentioned in a list of groups paying tribute to Emperor Yeshaq I, and other sub-group, Eaner. Part of the Gurage Zone, Enemorina Eaner is bordered on the south by the Hadiya Zone, on the southwest by Yem special woreda, on the west by Oromia Region, on the north by Cheha, on the east by Geta, and on the southeast by Endegagn. The administrative center of Enemorina Eaner is Gunchire. Endegagn was separated from this woreda.
Sebata Hawas, also spelled Sabbataa Awaas, is a woreda in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne, Alem Gena is on the southwest by Southwest Shewa Zone, on the northwest by Walmara, on the north by Burayu, on the northeast by the city of Addis Ababa, and on the east by the Akaki. The Awash River defines this woreda's boundary with south west Shewa Zone. The towns in Sebeta Hawas include Sebeta Hawas (Town), Awash Melka, and Tefki. The town of Sebeta was separated from this district.
Wolf Leslau was a scholar of Semitic languages and one of the foremost authorities on Semitic languages of Ethiopia.
The Awngi language, in older publications also called Awiya, is a Central Cushitic language spoken by the Awi people, living in Central Gojjam in northwestern Ethiopia.
Muher (Muxar) is an Ethiopian Semitic language belonging to the Gurage group. It is spoken in the mountains north of Cheha and Ezhana Wolene in Ethiopia. The language has two dialects, which are named after the first-person singular pronoun "I" they use: Ana uses əni/anä, Adi uses adi/ädi. The language is sometimes written in a modified Arabic (Ajam) or Amharic script. It has approximately 90,000 speakers.
The Mesmes language is an extinct West Gurage language, one of the Ethiopian Semitic languages spoken in Ethiopia. There are still many people who claim the Mesmes ethnic identity, but none who speak the language. The last speaker of the language was interviewed by a language survey team when he was approximately 80 years old. He had not spoken the language for 30 years, having nobody to speak it with since his brother died.
Highland East Cushitic or Burji-Sidamo is a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in south-central Ethiopia. They are often grouped with Lowland East Cushitic, Dullay, and Yaaku as East Cushitic, but that group is not well defined. The most populous language is Sidama, with close to two million speakers.
Ezha is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after the sub-group of the Sebat Bet Gurage, the Ezha. Part of the Gurage Zone, Ezha is bordered on the south by Gumer, on the west by Cheha, on the north by Kebena and Muhor Na Aklil, and on the southeast by Silt'e Zone and meskan. The major town in Ezha is Agenna. It was part of the former Ezhana Wolene woreda.
Geta is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Geta is one of the sub-groups of the Sebat Bet Gurage. Part of the Gurage Zone, the Geta woreda is bordered on the south by the Silt'e Zone, on the southwest by Endegagn, on the west by Enemorina Eaner, on the north by Cheha, and on the northeast by Gumer. Geta was separated from the Gumer woreda.
