The Oxford Handbook of Ethiopian Languages

Abstract This book provides a comprehensive account of the languages spoken in Ethiopia, exploring both their structures and features, as well as their function and use in society. It elaborates on the background and general information relating to Ethiopian languages, including their demographic distribution and classification, language policy, scripts and writing, and language endangerment. The book also discusses the four major language families in Ethiopia—Cushitic, Ethiosemitic, Nilo-Saharan, and Omotic—which contain studies of individual languages. Both major and less-documented languages are included, ranging from Amharic and Oromo to Zay, Gawwada, and Yemsa. It also examines the languages that are outside of those four families, namely Ethiopian Sign Language, Ethiopian English, and Arabic.