Somali

Afro-Asiatic (Cushitic)21 million totalLatin

RegionSomalia/Djibouti

FamilyAfro-Asiatic (Cushitic)

Speakers21 million total

ScriptLatin

TypeAlphabetic

About Somali

The best documented Cushitic language. Has tone but uses it grammatically rather than lexically. Has extensive poetic tradition considered central to the culture. Switched from Arabic script to Latin in 1972.

Related Languages

Oromo

Afro-Asiatic37 millionLatin

The most spoken Cushitic language. The third most spoken language in Africa. Uses Latin script adopt...