Harari | |
---|---|
Native to | Ethiopia |
Region | Harari Region |
Native speakers
|
25,810 (2007 census) |
Harari alphabet (Ge'ez script) | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
|
Glottolog | hara1271 |
Harari is the language of the Harari people of Ethiopia. According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, it is spoken by 25,810 people. Most of its speakers are multilingual in Amharic and/or Eastern Oromo. Harari is closely related to the Eastern Gurage languages Zay and Silt'e, all of whom are linked to the now extinct Semitic Harla language. Locals or natives of Harar refer to it as Gēy Ritma "language of the City" (Gēy is the word for how Harari speakers refer to Harar, whose name is an exonym).
Harari was originally written with a version of the Arabic script, then the Ethopic script was adopted to write the language. Some Harari speakers in diaspora write their language with the Latin alphabet.
/æ, a, e, ai, ɪ, i/
The noun has two numbers, Singular and Plural. The affix -ách changes singulars into plurals:
Nouns ending in the long á or í become plural without reduplicating this letter:
/s/ alternates with /z/:
Masculine nouns may be converted into feminines by three processes. The first changes the terminal vowel into -it, or adds -it to the terminal consonant:
Animals of different sexes have different names. and this forms the second process:
The third and the most common way of expressing sex is by means of aboch, "male or man," and inistí: woman, " female, corresponding to English " he-" and " she-":
The affixed pronouns or possessives attached to nouns are:--
Singular.
Plural.
In the same way attached pronouns are affixed to verbs:
The demonstrative pronouns are:
The interrogative pronouns are the following:
The following are the two auxiliary verbs:
Past Tense.
Present Tense.
Imperative.
Prohibitive.
Past Tense.
(Affirmative Form.)
(Negative Form.)
Present Tense.
(Affirmative Form.)
(Negative Form.)