Agaw languages

Agaw
Central Cushitic
Geographic
distribution
Ethiopia and central Eritrea
EthnicityAgaw people
Linguistic classificationAfroasiatic
Subdivisions
  • Awngi
  • Bilen
  • Qimant
  • Xamtanga
Language codes
Glottologcent2193

The Agaw, or Central Cushitic, languages are a small branch of Cushitic languages. They are spoken mainly in Ethiopia.

Languages

  • Awngi (South Agaw) spoken southwest of Lake Tana, the largest, with over 350,000 speakers
(Kunfal, spoken west of Lake Tana, is not well recorded but is probably a dialect of Awngi)[1]
  • Northern Agaw:
    • Bilen–Xamtanga:
      • Bilen (North) spoken (70,000 speakers) in Eritrea around the town of Keren and eastern Sudan around the town of Kassala
      • Xamtanga (Central Agaw; also called Khamir, Khamta) 143,000 speakers in the North Amhara Region
    • Qimant (Western Agaw) nearly extinct, spoken by the Qemant in Semien Gondar Zone
(dialects Qwara – nearly extinct, spoken by Beta Israel formerly living in Qwara, now in Israel; Kayla – extinct, formerly spoken by some Beta Israel, transitional between Qimant and Xamtanga)

References

  1. ↑ Joswig/Mohammed (2011)