Somali Language

Somali
Af-Soomaali   /   اف سومالى‎
Region	Somalia, Djibouti, Somali Region, North Eastern Province
Native speakers	17 million (2015)
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Lowland East Cushitic Somali languages Somali
Writing system	Somali Latin alphabet (Latin script; official) Wadaad writing (Arabic script) Osmanya alphabet Borama alphabet Kaddare alphabet
Official status
Official language in	Somalia
Recognised minority language in	Djibouti  Ethiopia  Kenya((SML))
Regulated by	Regional Somali Language Academy
Language codes
ISO 639-1	so
ISO 639-2
ISO 639-3
Glottolog	soma1255
Linguasphere	14-GAG-a
Primary Somali speech area
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Somali /səˈmɑːli, soʊ-/ (Af-Soomaali [æf sɔːmɑːli]) is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch. It is spoken as a mother tongue by Somalis in Somalia and the Somaliland . Somali is an official language of Somalia and ], a national language in Djibouti, and a working language in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. It is used as an adoptive language by a few neighboring ethnic minority groups and individuals.

Somali is classified within the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family; specifically, as Lowland East Cushitic along with Afar and Saho. Somali is the best-documented Cushitic language, with academic studies of the language dating back to the late 19th century.

Somali is spoken by Somalis in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Yemen and Kenya, and Somaliland . It is also spoken as an adoptive language by a few ethnic minority groups and individuals in these areas.