A Comparative Introduction to አማርኛ

Compared to Arabic and Hebrew, the Semitic languages of East Africa are not as commonly studied even among language enthusiasts. But let's see if we can change that! As an intermediate Arabic and Hebrew learner who has also been studying Amharic for the past few years, I have plenty of thoughts on this subject that I’d love to share. In this talk, we’ll look at the fundamentals of Amharic writing, vocabulary and grammar from the perspective of comparative Semitic linguistics, highlighting some of the remarkable similarities as well as key differences between these languages. In addition to numerous comparisons with Arabic and Hebrew, we’ll also touch on Tigrinya, Ge’ez, Syriac, South Arabian languages, and the long history of cultural and linguistic exchange between the Horn of Africa and the Near East.