Tigrinya language facts for kids

This article contains Ethiopic text. Without the correct software, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Ethiopic characters.

Tigrinya (sometimes called Tigrigna) is a language spoken in parts of Africa. It belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. More specifically, it's part of the Ethiopian Semitic group.

Most people who speak Tigrinya live in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. About 6.9 million people speak this language in total. Around 4.3 million speakers are in Ethiopia, and about 2.5 million are in Eritrea. Tigrinya is also spoken by people who have moved from these areas to other countries. This includes some Ethiopian Jews.

The Story of Tigrinya

The oldest known writing in Tigrinya is a set of local laws. These laws were found in the Logosarda district of Eritrea. They date all the way back to the 13th century.

How Tigrinya is Related to Ge'ez

Tigrinya is connected to an older Ethiopian Semitic language called Ge'ez. Even though they are related, Tigrinya has a different word order. There are also some other differences in their grammar.

However, both languages have similar sounds and word structures. This shows how they are related. Ge'ez has greatly influenced Tigrinya writing. This is especially true for words about Christian life. For a long time, Ge'ez was used for writing more often than Tigrinya.

Tigrinya in Modern Times

When the British ruled Eritrea, a newspaper was printed in Tigrinya. This helped the language become more widely used.

Tigrinya was once an official language in Eritrea. This was when Eritrea was part of Ethiopia. But in 1958, the language Amharic took its place. During the time of Emperor Haile Selassie (1930-1974), books and papers in Tigrinya were not allowed.

After Selassie lost power, Amharic remained the main language. In 1991, Eritrea became its own country. Since then, Tigrinya has been the "working language" in Eritrea. This means it is used for government and daily life.

Who Speaks Tigrinya?

There are about 6,915,000 people who speak Tigrinya. Most of them live in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Where Tigrinya Speakers Live

• In Ethiopia, about 4,320,000 people speak Tigrinya. Most of these speakers live in the Tigray region.
• In Eritrea, there are about 2,540,000 Tigrinya speakers. They mostly live in the southern and central parts of the country.
• More than 10,000 Beta Israel people also speak Tigrinya.

Tigrinya is the fourth most spoken language in Ethiopia. It comes after Amharic, Oromo, and Somali. It is the most widely spoken language in Eritrea. Many immigrants around the world also speak it. For example, in Australia, Tigrinya is broadcast on public radio. This is done by the Special Broadcasting Service.

Different Ways of Speaking Tigrinya

Tigrinya has two main ways of speaking, called dialects. These are the Northern and Southern dialects.

• Northern Dialect:

* Found in Eritrea (Hamasien, Seraye, Akele Guzay, Anseba). * Also in Ethiopia (Adwa, Axum, Shire, most areas of Agame).

• Southern Dialect:

* Found in Ethiopia (Enderta, Tembien, Raya, some areas of Agame).

Sounds of Tigrinya

Tigrinya uses special sounds called ejective consonants. It also has seven different vowel sounds.

Each part of a word, called a syllable, can be simple. It can have a consonant followed by a vowel. Or it can have a consonant, then a vowel, then another consonant.

How Tigrinya is Written

Tigrinya is written using the Ge'ez script. This writing system is also known as the Ethiopic script. It was first created for the Ge'ez language.

The Ge'ez script is an abugida. This means that each symbol you see stands for a consonant sound combined with a vowel sound.

More Information

• Amanuel Sahle (1998) Säwasäsǝw Tǝgrǝñña bǝsäfiḥ. Lawrencevill, NJ, USA: Red Sea Press. ISBN: 1-56902-096-5
• Dan'el Täxlu Räda (1996, Eth. Cal.) Zäbänawi säwasəw kʷ'ankʷ'a Təgrəñña. Mäx'älä
• Rehman, Abdel. English Tigrigna Dictionary: A Dictionary of the Tigrinya Language: (Asmara) Simon Wallenberg Press. Introduction Pages to the Tigrinya Language ISBN: 1-84356-006-2
• Eritrean People's Liberation Front (1985) Dictionary, English-Tigrigna-Arabic. Rome: EPLF.
• ----- (1986) Dictionary, Tigrigna-English, mesgebe qalat tigrinya englizenya. Rome: EPLF.
• Kane, Thomas L. (2000) Tigrinya-English Dictionary (2 vols). Springfield, VA: Dunwoody Press. ISBN: 1-881265-68-4
• Leslau, Wolf (1941) Documents tigrigna: grammaire et textes. Paris: Libraire C. Klincksieck.
• Mason, John (Ed.) (1996) Säwasǝw Tǝgrǝñña, Tigrinya Grammar. Lawrenceville, NJ, USA: Red Sea Press. ISBN: 0-932415-20-2 (ISBN: 0-932415-21-0, paperback)
• Praetorius, F. (1871) Grammatik der Tigriñasprache in Abessinien. Halle. ISBN: 3-487-05191-5 (1974 reprint)
• Täxästä Täxlä et al. (1989, Eth. Cal.) Mäzgäbä k'alat Təgrəñña bə-Təgrəñña. Addis Ababa: Nəgd matämiya dərəǧǧət.
• Ullendorff, E. (1985) A Tigrinya Chrestomathy. Stuttgart: F. Steiner. ISBN: 3-515-04314-4
• Ze'im Girma (1983) Lǝsanä Ag’azi. Asmara: Government Printing Press.

• Sites with Tigrinya text or sound files (all require a Ge'ez Unicode font such as GF Zemen Unicode).

See also

In Spanish: Idioma tigriña para niños