The Agaw or Central Cushitic languages are Afro-Asiatic languages spoken by several groups in Ethiopia and, in one case, Eritrea. They form the main substratum influence on Amharic and other Ethiopian Semitic languages.[1]
| Agaw | |
|---|---|
| Central Cushitic | |
| Geographic distribution | Ethiopia and central Eritrea |
| Ethnicity | Agaw |
| Linguistic classification | Afro-Asiatic
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Agaw |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | cent2193 |
Classification
editThe Central Cushitic languages are classified as follows (after Appleyard):
- Northern Agaw:
- Bilen–Xamtanga:
- Qimant (Western Agaw) nearly extinct, spoken by the Qemant in Semien Gondar Zone
- (dialects Qwara – nearly extinct, spoken by Beta Israel formerly living in Qwara, now in Israel; Kayla – extinct, formerly spoken by some Beta Israel, transitional between Qimant and Xamtanga)
There is a literature in Agaw but it is widely dispersed: from medieval texts containing passages in the Qimant language, now mostly in Israeli museums, to the modern Bilen language with its own newspaper, based in Keren, Eritrea. Historical material is also available in the Xamtanga language, and there is a deep tradition of folklore in the Awngi language.
Phonology
editCentral Cushitic languages are characterised by the presence of /ŋ/, /ɣ/, /z/, and central vowels, while they lack ejectives, implosives, pharyngeals, consonant gemination, vowel length, and the consonant /ɲ/.[3]
See also
edit- Agaw people
- List of Proto-Agaw reconstructions (Wiktionary)
Bibliography
edit- Appleyard, David L. (2006) A Comparative Dictionary of the Agaw Languages (Kuschitische Sprachstudien – Cushitic Language Studies Band 24). Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
- Hetzron, Robert (1976) The Agaw Languages. Afroasiatic Linguistics 3,3. p. 31–37
- Joswig, Andreas and Hussein Mohammed (2011). A Sociolinguistic Survey Report; Revisiting the Southern Agaw Language areas of Ethiopia. SIL International. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2011-047.