Harari Language

Harari Language

Harari is the language of the Harari people of Ethiopia. According to the 1998 Ethiopian census, it is spoken by 21,283 people. Most of its speakers are multilingual in Amharic and/or Oromo. Harari is closely related to the East Gurage languages, Zay and Silt'e. Locals or natives of this city also refer to it as "Gey sinan" (Language of the City). Several words are of Arabic or (to a lesser extent) Italian origin. Originally written in the Arabic script, it has recently converted to the Ge'ez alphabet.