Harari language

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 (Gē 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.

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
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:

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 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.

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