Harari language

This article is about the Ethiopic language spoken in the city of Harar. For the local Oromo language, see Eastern Oromo language.

Harari
Native to	Ethiopia
Region	Harari Region
Native speakers	25,810 (2007 census)
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic South Ethiopian South Transversal Harari – East Gurage Harari
Writing system	Harari alphabet (Ge'ez script)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	har
Glottolog	hara1271

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. Most of its speakers are multilingual in Amharic and/or Eastern Oromo. Harari is closely related to the Eastern Gurage languages, Zay, and Silt'e, all of whom are linked to the now extinct Semitic Harla language. Locals or natives of Harar refer to it as Gēy Ritma or Gēy Sinan "language of the City" (Gēy is the word for how Harari speakers refer to Harar, whose name is an exonym).

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.

Vowels

/æ, a, e, ai, ɪ, i/

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	አን än
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	ዪ yi (i)	ያእ yaǝ
	Feminine	ሒየ hiyya, ኢትታ itta	የታ yetta
Plural		ዪያች yiyâch	ያኣች Ya’âch

Person	Singular	Plural
1	Án	Innách or Inyách.
2	Akhákh	Akhákhách
3	Azo	(383) 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)

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>).	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.

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

References

Works cited

• Abdurahman Garad and Ewald Wagner. 1998. Harari-Studien : Texte mit Übersetzung, grammatischen Skizzen und Glossar. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-03937-X. [1]
• Cerulli, Enrico. “La lingua e la storia di Harar” in Studi Etiopici, vol. I, 1936 (Roma).
• Gardner, Simon and Ralph Siebert. 2001. "Sociolinguistic survey report of the Zay language area." SIL Electronic Survey Reports, 2002-024. PDF
• Cohen, Marcel. 1931. Etudes d'éthiopien méridional. Paris. pp. 243–354.
• Leslau, Wolf (1937). "Contributions a l'etude du harari (Abyssinie meridionale)". Journal Asiatique. 229.
• Leslau, Wolf. 1958. The verb in Harari : (South Ethiopic). Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Leslau, Wolf (1965). Ethiopians speak: studies in cultural background. University of California Press. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Leslau, Wolf (1959). "An Analysis of the Harari Vocabulary". Annales d'Ethiopie. 3 (1): 275–298. doi:10.3406/ethio.1959.1310. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Mondon-Vidailhet, François Marie Casimir. 1902. La langue Harari et les dialectes Ethiopies du Gouraghe. Paris: Imprimerie nationale.
• Wagner, Ewald. 1983. Harari-Texte in arabischer Schrift : mit Übersetzung und Kommentar. Wiesbaden: F. Steiner.

External links

• World Atlas of Language Structures information on Harari
• Grammatical Outline and Vocabulary of the Harari Language