Cushitic languages

Cushitic languages, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=7274 / CC BY SA 3.0 #Afroasiatic_languages #Cushitic_languages Cushitic languages The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia), as well as the Nile Valley (Sudan and Egypt), and parts of the African Great Lakes region (Tanzania and Kenya) by Cushitic peoples. The Cushitic languages with the greatest number of total speakers are Oromo (41 million), Somali (16.2 million), Beja (3.2 million), Sidamo (3 million), and Afar ( 6 million). Oromo is the working language of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Somali is one of two official languages of Somalia, and as such is the only Cushitic language accorded official language status at the country level. It also serves as a language of instruction in Djibouti, and as the working language of the Somali Region in Ethiopia. Beja, Afar, Blin and Saho, the languages of the Cushitic branch of Afroasiatic that are spoken in Eritrea, are languages of instruction in the Eritrean elementary school curriculum. The constitution of Eritrea also recognizes the equality of all natively spoken languages. Additionally, Afar is a language of instruction in Djibouti, as well as the working language of the Afar Region in Ethiopia. The phylum was first designated as "Cushitic" around 1858. Historical linguistic analysis and archaeogenetics indicate that the languages spoken in the ancient Kerma culture of what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan, as well as those spoken in the Savanna Pastoral Neolithic culture of the Great Lakes region, likely belonged to the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. The Cushitic languages are usually considered to include the following branches: This classification has not been without contention, and many other classifications have been proposed over the years. Beja is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic fa...