Harari language

Harari
ሀረሪ (hăräri)
Native toEthiopia
RegionHarari Region
Ethnicity32,000 Harari (2007 census)
Native speakers
27,000 (2007 census)
Harari alphabet (Ge'ez script)
Language codes
ISO 639-3har
Glottologhara1271

Harari is an Ethiopian Semitic language spoken by the Harari people of Ethiopia. According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, it is spoken by 25,810 people. Harari is closely related to the Eastern Gurage languages, Zay, and Silt'e, all of whom are believed to be linked to the now extinct Semitic Harla language. Locals or natives of Harar refer to their language as Gē Sinan or Gē Ritma 'language of the City' ( is the word for how Harari speakers refer to the city of Harar, whose name is an exonym). According to Wolf Leslau, Sidamo is the substratum language of Harari and influenced the vocabulary greatly. He identified unique Cushitic loanwords found only in Harari and deduced that it may have Cushitic roots.

Harari was originally written with a version of the Arabic script, then the Ethiopic script was adopted to write the language. Some Harari speakers in diaspora write their language with the Latin alphabet.

Phonology

Harari consonants
Labial Dental Alveolar Post-alv./

Palatal

Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
plain emphatic
Nasal m n ɲ
Stop voiceless p t k q ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
ejective t’ tʃ’ k’
Fricative voiceless f θ s ʃ x ħ h
voiced v ð z ʒ ɣ ʕ
Trill r
Approximant l j w
Harari vowels
Front Central Back
short long short long
Close ɪ ɨ ʊ
Mid e o
Open æ

Grammar

Nouns

Number

Wolf Leslau discusses Harari–East Gurage phonology and grammar: The noun has two numbers, singular and plural. The affix -ač changes singulars into plurals:

abōč 'a man'; abōčač 'men'
wandaq 'a servant'; wandaqač 'servants'
gar 'a house'; garač 'houses'

Nouns ending in a or i become plural without reduplicating this letter:

gafa 'a slave'; gafač 'slaves'
gubna 'a harlot'; gubnač 'harlots'
liğği 'a son'; liğğač 'sons'
mäqbärti 'a grave'; mäqbärtač 'graves'

/s/ alternates with /z/:

färäz 'a horse'; färäzač 'horses'
iraaz 'toga'; iraazač 'togas'

Gender

Masculine nouns may be converted into feminines by three processes. The first changes the terminal vowel into -it, or adds -it to the terminal consonant:

rágá 'an old man'; rágít 'an old woman'
buchí 'male dog'; buchít 'female dog'
wasíf 'a slave boy'; wasífít 'a slave girl'

Animals of different sexes have different names. and this forms the second process:

bárá 'an ox'; lám 'a cow'

The third and the most common way of expressing sex is by means of aboch 'male or man' and inistí 'woman, female', corresponding to English "he-" and "she-":

aboch faraz 'a stallion'; inistí faraz 'a mare'
aboch č̣abar 'a he-mule'; inistí č̣abar 'a she-mule'

Pronouns

English Independent Object pronoun suffixes Possessive
suffixes
Direct Prepositional
Benefactive Locative/adversative
I ኣን
an
you (m. sg.) አኻኽ
äkhakh
you (f. sg.) አኻሽ
akhâsh
you (polite/formal) አኻኹ
akhâkhu
he/him አዝዞ
äzzo
she/her አዝዜ
äzze
s/he (polite/formal) አዝዚዩ
äzziyu
we ኢኛች
ignâch
you (pl.) አኻኻች
akhâkhâch
they አዝዚያች
äzziyach
Harari demonstrative pronouns
Number, Gender Near Far
Singular Masculine yi (i) የእ yäǝ
Feminine ኢትተ ittä የትተ
yättä
Plural ዪያች yiyâch የኣች Ya’âch
Person Singular Plural
1 Án Innách or Inyách.
2 Akhákh Akhákhách
3 Azo (383)[clarification needed] Azziyách

The affixed pronouns or possessives attached to nouns are:

Singular.

1st Pers. – e, my or mine. : Gár-e, my house.
2nd Pers. – khá, thy or thine. Gár-khá, thy house.
3rd Pers. – zo, or – so, his. Gár-zo, his house.

Plural.

1st Pers. – zinya or sinya, our. : Gár-zinya, our house.
2nd Pers. – kho, your. Gár-kho, your house.
3rd Pers. – ziyu or siyu, their. Gár-ziyu, their house. (384)[clarification needed]

In the same way attached pronouns are affixed to verbs:

Sit-ayn: give (thou to) me.
Sit-ana: give (thou to) us.

The demonstrative pronouns are:

Sing. Yí, this.
Yá', that.
Plur. Yíách, these.
Yá'ách, those.

The interrogative pronouns are the following:

Mántá: who?
Mintá: what?
Án atti'e hárkho: I myself went.
Akhákh attikha hárkhí: thou thyself wentest.
Azo attiizo hára: he himself went.

Verbs

The following are the two auxiliary verbs:

'to be'
Past Present Imperative
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
Person (s) 1 Án narkhú. Án alnárkhúm. Án halkho. Án elkhúm.
2 Akhákh nárkhí. Akhákh alnárkhím. Akhákh halkhí. Akhákh elkhím. Hal.
3 Azo nárá. Azo alnárum. Azo hal (<A>[clarification needed]). Azo elúm.
(pl) 1 Inyách nárná. Inyách alnárum. Inyách halna. Inyách elnám.
2 Akhákhách narkhú. Akhákhách alnárkhúm. Akhákhách halkhú. Akhákhách elkhúm. Halkhú.
3 Aziyách nárú. Aziyách alnárúm. Aziyách halú Aziyásc elúm.

Past tense

Sing. 1. I became: Án ikaní náarkho.
2. Thou becamest: Akhákh tikání nárkhí.
3. He became: Azo ikáni nárá.
Plur. 1. We became: Innách nikání nárná.
2. Ye became: Akhákhách tikání nárkhú.
3. They became: Aziyách ikání nárú.

Present tense

Sing. 1. I become: Án ikánákh.
2. Thou becomest: Akhákh tikánákh.
3. He becomes: Azo ikánál.
Plur. 1. We become: Inyách nikánáná.
2. Ye become: Akhákhách tikánákhu.
3. They become: Aziyách yikánálú.

Imperative

Become thou, "Kanni". Become ye, "Kánnú".

Prohibitive

Sing. 2. Become not, ikánnumekh.
Plur. 2. Become not ye, tikánnumekhu.

Past tense

(Affirmative form)

Sing. 1. I went, Án letkho.
2. Thous wentest, Akhákh letkhí.
3. He went, Azo leta.
Plur. 1. We went, Inyách letna.
2. Ye went, Akhákhách letkhú.
3. They went, Aziyách letú.

(Negative form)

Sing. 1. I went not, Án alletkhúm.
2. Thou wentest not, Akbákh alletkhím.
3. He went not, Azo alletám.
Plur. 1. We went not, Inyách aletnám.
2. Ye went not, Akhákách alletkhúm.
3. They went not, Azziyách alletúm.

Present tense.

(Affirmative form)

1. I go, Án iletákh 1. Inyásh niletáná.
2. Thou goest, Akhákh tiletínakh 2. Akhákhách tiletákhú.
3. He goes, Azo yiletál 3. Azziyách yiletálú.

(Negative form)

Sing. 1. I go not, Án iletumekh.
2. Thou goest not, Akhákh tiletumekh.
3. He goes not, Azo yiletumel.
Plur. 1. We go not, Inyách niletumena.
2. Ye go not, Akhákhach tiletumekhú.
3. They go not, Azziyách iletuelú.
Sing. 1. I will go, Án iletle halkho.
2. Thou wilt go, Akháhk tiletle halkhí.
3. He will go, Azo iletle hal.
Plur. 1. We will go, Inyách niletle halns.
2. Ye will go, Akhákhách tiletle halkhú.
3. They will go, Azziyách niletle halns.

Writing system

Harari was originally written in an unmodified and later modified Arabic Script. The Ethiopic script was then adopted to write Harari. There is a Latin version of the script used by the Harari diaspora.

Modified Arabic script

Romanization IPA Arabic Script Harari Letter
a / ' / ʔ ا
b b ب
p p پ
t t ت
θ ث
j ج
g g ݘ
h ħ ح
kh x خ
d d د
dh ð ذ
r r ر
z z ز
zh ʒ ژ
s s س
sh ʃ ش
ch ڛ
ص
ض
t' t’ ط
ż ظ
c tʃ’ ڟ
ȧ ʕ ع
gh ɣ غ
f f ف
v v ڤ
q q ق
k k ك
k' k’ ڬ
l l ل
m m م
n n ن
gn ɲ ڹ
h h ه
w w و
y j ي

Vowel markings table

Romanization IPA Vowel markings independent Vowel combined with consonant ب (be)
a /ˌæ/ َ بَ
e /ˌe/ ٚ بٚ
i /ˌɪ/ ِ بِ
o /o/ ٛ بٛ
u /u/ ُ بُ
â /aː/ آ, َا با
ê /eː/ ٚي بٚي
î /iː/ ِي بِي
ô /ˌoː/ ٛو بٛو
û /ˌuː/ ُو بُو
ʼa /ˈæ/ َاٴْ باٴْ
ʼe /ˈe/ ٚيٴْ بيٴْ
ʼi /ˈɪ/ ِيٴْ بيٴْ
ʼo /ˈo/ ٛوٴْ بوٴْ
ʼu /ˈʊ/ ُوٴْ بوٴْ
ʼâ /ˈaː/ آءْ, َاءْ باءْ
ʼê /ˈeː/ ٚيءْ بٚيءْ
ʼî /ˈiː/ ِيءْ بِيءْ
ʼô /ˈoː/ ٛوءْ بٛوءْ
ʼû /ˈuː/ ُوءْ بُوءْ

Modified Ge'ez script

Harari can be written in the unmodified Ethiopic script as most vowel differences can be disambiguated from context. The Harari adaptation of the Ethiopic script adds a long vowel version of the Ethiopic/Amharic vowels by adding a dot on top of the letter. In addition certain consonants are pronounced differently when compared to the Amharic pronunciation.

The table below shows the Harari alphasyllabary with the Romanized & IPA consonants along the rows and the Romanized vowel markings along the columns.

Harari writing system
Romanization IPA a [æ] â [aː] u [ʊ] û [uː] i [ɪ] î [iː] e [e] ê [eː] o [o] ô [oː] ∅/ə [∅/ɨ]
h h ሁ፞ ሂ፞ ሄ፞ ሆ፞
l l ሉ፞ ሊ፞ ሌ፞ ሎ፞
ħ ሑ፞ ሒ፞ ሔ፞ ሖ፞
m m ሙ፞ ሚ፞ ሜ፞ ሞ፞
θ ሡ፞ ሢ፞ ሤ፞ ሦ፞
r r ሩ፞ ሪ፞ ሬ፞ ሮ፞
s s ሱ፞ ሲ፞ ሴ፞ ሶ፞
sh ʃ ሹ፞ ሺ፞ ሼ፞ ሾ፞
q q ቁ፞ ቂ፞ ቄ፞ ቆ፞
b b ቡ፞ ቢ፞ ቤ፞ ቦ፞
v v ቩ፞ ቪ፞ ቬ፞ ቮ፞
t t ቱ፞ ቲ፞ ቴ፞ ቶ፞
ch ቹ፞ ቺ፞ ቼ፞ ቾ፞
gh ɣ ኁ፞ ኂ፞ ኄ፞ ኆ፞
n n ኑ፞ ኒ፞ ኔ፞ ኖ፞
gn ɲ ኙ፞ ኚ፞ ኜ፞ ኞ፞
'/a / ʔ ኡ፞ ኢ፞ ኤ፞ ኦ፞
k k ኩ፞ ኪ፞ ኬ፞ ኮ፞
kh x ኹ፞ ኺ፞ ኼ፞ ኾ፞
w w ዉ፞ ዊ፞ ዌ፞ ዎ፞
ȧ ʕ ዑ፞ ዒ፞ ዔ፞ ዖ፞
z z ዙ፞ ዚ፞ ዜ፞ ዞ፞
zh ʒ ዡ፞ ዢ፞ ዤ፞ ዦ፞
y j ዩ፞ ዪ፞ ዬ፞ ዮ፞
d d ዱ፞ ዲ፞ ዴ፞ ዶ፞
k' k’ ዹ፞ ዺ፞ ዼ፞ ዾ፞
j ጁ፞ ጂ፞ ጄ፞ ጆ፞
g g ጉ፞ ጊ፞ ጌ፞ ጎ፞
t' t’ ጡ፞ ጢ፞ ጤ፞ ጦ፞
c tʃ’ ጩ፞ ጪ፞ ጬ፞ ጮ፞
ጱ፞ ጲ፞ ጴ፞ ጶ፞
ጹ፞ ጺ፞ ጼ፞ ጾ፞
dh ð ፁ፞ ፂ፞ ፄ፞ ፆ፞
f f ፉ፞ ፊ፞ ፌ፞ ፎ፞
p p ፑ፞ ፒ፞ ፔ፞ ፖ፞
ż ⶱ፞ ⶲ፞ ⶴ፞ ⶶ፞
Romanization IPA a [æ] â [aː] u [ʊ] û [uː] i [ɪ] î [iː] e [e] ê [eː] o [o] ô [oː] ∅/ə [∅/ɨ]

Modified Latin script

Latin Harari script capital letter Latin Harari script small letter International phonetic alphabet
A a æ
 â
Ȧ ȧ ʕ
B b b
C c tʃ’
Ch ch
D d d
Dh dh ð
E e e
Ê ê
F f f
G g g
Gh gh ɣ
Gn gn ɲ
H h h
ħ
I i ɪ
Î î
J j
K k k
Kh kh x
L l l
M m m
N n n
O o o
Ô ô
P p p
Q q q
R r r
S s s
Sh sh ʃ
T t t
θ
U u ʊ
Û û
V v v
W w w
X x x
Xh xh k’
Y y j
Z z z
Zh zh ʒ
Ż ż

Numerals

  • 1. Ahad
  • 2. Ko'ot
  • 3. Shi'ishti
  • 4. Haret
  • 5. Ham'misti
  • 6. Siddisti
  • 7. Sa'ati
  • 8. Su'ut
  • 9. Zahtegn
  • 10. Asir
  • 11. Asra ahad
  • 12. Asra ko'ot
  • 13. Asra shi'ishti
  • 14. Asra haret
  • 15. Asra ham'misti
  • 16. Asra siddisti
  • 17. Asra sa'ati
  • 18. Asra su'ut
  • 19. Asra zahtegn
  • 20. Kuya
  • 30. Saasa
  • 40. Arbîn
  • 50. Hamsein
  • 60. Sit'tin
  • 70. Sa'ati asir
  • 80. Su'ut asir
  • 90. Zahtana
  • 100. Baqla
  • 1,000. Kum or Alfi

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