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The distribution of Cushitic languages
[ Afroasiatic » Cushitic ]

Cushitic languages

There are some 30-50 Cushitic languages, all of which are spoken in north-eastern Africa. They are generally grouped in 6 subgroups as follows (cfr Hayward 2000):

  • Beja (North Cushitic) -- one language, spoken in north-eastern Sudan
  • Central Cushitic -- less than 10 languages, spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea
  • Highland East Cushitic -- less than 10 languages, spoken in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya
  • Lowland East Cushitic -- 5 languages, spoken in large parts of north-eastern Africa
  • Dullay-Yaaku -- two or three languages, spoken in Kenya
  • South Cushitic -- less than 10 languages, spoken in eastern Kenya and northern Tanzania

A SELECTION OF PRINTED SOURCES

Cohen, David. 1988. Couchitique - Omotique. In: Les langues dans le monde ancien et moderne (ed. by Jean Perrot & Daniel Cohen), v. 3, p. 243-269. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).

Fleming, Harold C. 1976. Non-Semitic languages: Cushitic and Omotic. In: Language in Ethiopia (ed. by Marvin Lionel Bender, et al.), p. 34-53. Oxford University Press.

Hayward, Richard J. 2000. Afroasiatic. In: African languages: an introduction (ed. by Bernd Heine & Derek Nurse), p. 74-98. Cambridge University Press.

Ishigaki, Yukio. 1972. Cushitic (Somalia & Ethiopia). Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

Lamberti, Marcello. 1991. Cushitic and its classifications. Anthropos: internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- und Sprachenkunde, 86, p. 552-561.

Palmer, Frank R. 1970. Cushitic. In: Current trends in linguistics, 6: linguistics in south west Asia and northern Africa (ed. by Thomas Albert Sebeok), p. 571-585. Mouton & Co.

Sasse, Hans-Jürgen. 1981. Die kuschitischen Sprachen. In: Die Sprachen Afrikas (ed. by Bernd Heine, Thilo C. Schadeberg & Ekkehard Wolff), p. 187-215. Helmut Buske Verlag.

Tosco, Mauro. 2000. Cushitic overview. Journal of Ethiopian studies, 23 (2), p. 87-121.

Tosco, Mauro. 2003. Cushitic and Omotic overview. In: Selected comparative-historical Afrasian linguistic studies, in memory of Igor M. Diakonoff (ed. by Marvin Lionel Bender, Gabor Takacs & David L. Appleyard), p. 87-92. Lincom Europa.

Tucker, Archibald Norman; Bryan, Margaret Arminel. 1966. Linguistic analyses: the non-Bantu languages of north-eastern Africa. Oxford University Press for the International African Institute (IAI).

Zaborski, Andrzej. 1976. Cushitic overview. In: The non-Semitic languages of Ethiopia (ed. by Marvin Lionel Bender), p. 67-84. African Studies Center, Michigan State University.

General, comparative, miscellaneous back to top »

Roger M. Blench, 1999
The westward wanderings of Cushitic pastoralists: explorations in the prehistory of Central Africa (PDF). From: L'homme et l'animal dans le bassin du lac Tchad. Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique d¹Outre-Mer (ORSTOM).
www.bondy.ird.fr/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_7/divers2/010020136.pdf

Alexander Militarev
Cushitic etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Rainer Maria Voigt, 1984
Die Form des Reflexivstammes und der ersten Person Singular im Kuschitischen (PDF). From: Afrika und Übersee, v. 67, p. 233-247.
books.google.com/books?id=mjIzAAAAIAAJ (whole issue)

Arbore, Irbore < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada, Tsamaya and Diraasha areas, with excursions to Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) - Part II (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-066.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066

Awngi < Central Cushitic back to top »

Charlotte Wedekind, Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey of the Awngi language of Ethiopia (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-044.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-044

Zelealem Leyew, 2002
First report on a survey of the Shinasha and Agew dialects and languages (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-062.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-062

Bayso < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Matthias Brenzinger
The "islanders" of Lake Abbaya and Lake Ch'amo: Harro Ganjule, Gats'ame, and Bayso (PDF). SIL electronic survey report 1999-003.
www.sil.org/silesr/1999/003

Beja, Bedawi < North Cushitic back to top »

Sabrina Bendjaballah, 2003
The internal structure of the determiner in Beja (PDF). From: Research in Afroasiatic grammar II. Edited by Jacqueline Lecarme. John Benjamins Publ.
www.univ-lille3.fr/silex/equipe/bendjaballah/Beja.pdf

Gudrun Dahl, Anders Hjort-af-Ornas, 2006
Precolonial Beja: a periphery at the crossroads (PDF). From: Nordic journal of African studies, v. 15, p. 473-498.
www.njas.helsinki.fi

Alexander Militarev
Bedauye (Beja) etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Martine Vanhove
Bedja texts and sound files hosted at the CRDO (Centre de Ressources pour la Description de l'Oral).
crdo.risc.cnrs.fr/exist/crdo/index.htm

Klaus Wedekind, Charlotte Wedekind, Abuzeinab Musa, 2008
Beja pedagogical grammar: online monograph. Afrikanistik online.
www.afrikanistik-online.de/archiv/2008/1283/

Bilin, Blin < Central Cushitic back to top »

Franz A. Dombrowski, 1984
Einige Beobachtungen zur Bildung von Verbalstämmen im Bilin (PDF). From: Afrika und Übersee, v. 67, p. 249-275.
books.google.com/books?id=mjIzAAAAIAAJ (whole issue)

Paul D. Fallon, 2006
Consonant mutation and reduplication in Blin singulars and plurals (PDF). From: Selected proceedings of the 35th annual conference on African linguistics. Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
www.lingref.com/cpp/acal/35/index.html

Paul D. Fallon, 2006
Blin orthography: a history and an assessment (PDF). From: Selected proceedings of the 36th annual conference on African linguistics. Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
www.lingref.com/cpp/acal/36/index.html

Kiflemariam Hamde
Dehai Blin page.
www.people.vcu.edu/~gasmerom/Eritrean_languages/blin

Bussa < Konsoid < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada (Dullay), Diraasha (Gidole), Muusiye (Bussa) areas (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-065.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-065

Dahalo < South Cushitic back to top »

Dahalo sound files at the UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive.
archive.phonetics.ucla.edu/main2.htm

Taehong Cho, Peter Ladefoged, 1997
Variations and universals in VOT: evidence from 17 endangered languages (PDF). UCLA working papers in phonetics, v. 95, p. 18-40.
repositories.cdlib.org/uclaling/wpp/No95/

Ian Maddieson, Sinisa Spajic, Bonny Sands, Peter Ladefoged, 1993
Phonetic structures of Dahalo (PDF). UCLA working papers in phonetics, v. 84, p. 25-66.
repositories.cdlib.org/uclaling/wpp/No84/

Alexander Militarev
Dahalo etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Dirasha, Gidole < Konsoid < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada, Tsamaya and Diraasha areas, with excursions to Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) - Part II (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-066.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada (Dullay), Diraasha (Gidole), Muusiye (Bussa) areas (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-065.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-065

Dullay (Werizoid) cluster < Dullay-Yaaku back to top »

Tim Girard, 2002
A sociolinguistic survey report of the Werizoid dialect chain (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-023.
www.sil.org/silesr/2002/023

Alexander Militarev
Warazi etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada, Tsamaya and Diraasha areas, with excursions to Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) - Part II (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-066.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada (Dullay), Diraasha (Gidole), Muusiye (Bussa) areas (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-065.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-065

Iraqw < South Cushitic back to top »

Stefan Elders, Maarten Mous, 1991
The adverbial qo in Iraqw (PDF). From: Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere (AAP), Sondernummer 1991, p. 125-138.
hdl.handle.net/1887/2729

Kambaata < Highland East Cushitic back to top »

Peter Ladefoged
Vowels and consonants: Kambaata. Sound files hosted at the UCLA Phonetics Lab.
hctv.humnet.ucla.edu/departments/linguistics/VowelsandConsonants/index/language.html

Yvonne Treis, 2006
Form and function of case marking in Kambaata. Afrikanistik online.
www.afrikanistik-online.de/archiv/2006/379

Kemant, Qimant, Falacha < Central Cushitic back to top »

A.Z. Aescoly, 1961
Notices sur les Falacha ou Juifs d'Abyssinie, d'après le journal de voyage d'Antoine d'Abbadie. Cahiers d'études africaines, v. 2, p. 84-147.
www.persee.fr/showIssue.do?issueKey=cea_0008-0055_1961_num_2_5

Zelealem Leyew, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the Kemant (Qimant) language of Ethiopia (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-031.
www.sil.org/silesr/2002/031

Oromo, "Galla" < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Wikipedia in Oromo.
om.wikipedia.org

Yilma Aklilu, Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Survey report on the Oromo language/Oromo sentence repetition: test and its development (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-059.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-059

Enrico Cerulli, 1922
The folk-literature of the Galla of southern Abyssinia. Originally published in Harvard African Studies 3. Prepared for the web by Richard Seltzer.
www.samizdat.com/cerulli.html

Jeylan W. Hussein, 2005
The functions of African oral arts: the Arsi-Oromo oral arts in focus (PDF). African study monographs, v. 26 (1), p. 15-58.
jambo.africa.kyoto-u.ac.jp/kiroku/asm_suppl/root.htm

Maweja Mbaya, 2002
Linguistic taboo in African marriage context: a study of the Oromo 'Laguu' (PDF). Nordic journal of African studies, v. 11 (2), p. 224-235.
www.njas.helsinki.fi

Rendille < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

C. Chanard
Rendille - système alphabétique d'après "Alphabets des langues africaines", Unesco-SIL 1993. LLACAN (Langage, Langues et Cultures d'Afrique Noire).
sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono

Saho-Afar < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

Wikipedia in Afar.
aa.wikipedia.org

Alexander Militarev
Saho-Afar etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Somali < Lowland East Cushitic back to top »

English-Somali vocabulary quizzes.
iteslj.org/v/so

Google in Somali.
www.google.com/intl/so

Somali dictionary - Somali-English, English-Somali. Cultural Diversity Network.
www.hickorytech.net/~cdn/somali.htm

Somali-English-Italian Trilingual (Online) Dictionary.
www.redsea-online.com/modules.php?name=dictionary

Wikipedia in Somali.
so.wikipedia.org

Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi
The Somali language page. Université de Montréal, Québec.
www.geocities.com/Paris/Louvre/2521/somali.html

Sabrina Bendjaballah, 1998
La palatalisation en Somali (PDF). Linguistique africaine, v. 21, p. 5-52.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/Bendja/LA.pdf

David le Gac
Tonal alternations in Somali (PS). Manuscript. Laboratoire de Linguistique Formelle, Université de Paris-7.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/LeGac/Som-Cal5.ps

Graig Gibson
Digital dialects: Somali - interactive language learning.
www.digitaldialects.com/Somali.htm

Jama Musse Jama et al.
Qaamuuska xisaabta: Somali-English-Italian online mathematical dictionary by Jama Musse Jama and the students of the Dept of Mathematics, University of Pisa.
www.dm.unipi.it/~jama/alif/qaamuus/qaamuus_en.html

Alan R. King, 1994
Syntactic typology and the problem with choosing one analysis - on Somali grammar.
www.eirelink.com/alanking/oneanal.htm

Jacqueline Lecarme
Somali multiple applicatives and the 'possessor' argument (PDF). Paper presented at the ULCL Afroasiatic conference, January 2005.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/Lecarme/index-fr.php

Jacqueline Lecarme
On three interpretations of past determiners in Somali (PDF). From: GLOW newsletter, v. 52.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/Lecarme/index-fr.php

Jacqueline Lecarme, 2002
Gender 'polarity': theoretical aspects of Somali nominal morphology (PDF). From: Many Morphologies. Edited by by Paul Bocher. Cascadilla Press.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/Lecarme/index-fr.php

Jacqueline Lecarme, 2002
Tense in the nominal system: the Somali DP (PDF). From: Studies in Afro-Asiatic Grammar. Edited by J. Lecarme, J. Lowenstamm and U. Shlonsky. Holland Academic Graphics.
www.llf.cnrs.fr/Gens/Lecarme/index-fr.php

Jacqueline Lecarme, 2007
Tense and modality in nominals (PDF). Paper available at the Semantics Archive.
semanticsarchive.net/Archive/GI2MjE3Z

Philip M. Parker
Somali English dictionary.
www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Somali-english

Anneleen van der Veken, Gilles-Maurice de Schryver, 2003
Les langues africaines sur la Toile: étude des cas haoussa, somali, lingala, et isixhosa (PDF). Cahiers du Rifal, v. 23, p. 33-45.
tshwanedje.com/publications/Toile.pdf

Tsamay (< Werizoid) < Dullay-Yaaku back to top »

Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada, Tsamaya and Diraasha areas, with excursions to Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) - Part II (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-066.
www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066

Yaaku, Mogogodo < South Cushitic back to top »

Alexander Militarev
Mogogodo etymology.
starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/main.cgi?root=config

Xamtanga, Khamtanga < Central Cushitic back to top »

Hailu Berhanu, Sisay Dereje, Klaus Wedekind, 2002
Sociolinguistic survey report of the Khamir language of Ethiopia (PDF). SIL electronic survey report SILESR 2002-027.
www.sil.org/silesr/2002/027


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