Ge'ez

Ge‘ez, or Classical Ethiopic, is the literary language developed in the 4^th century AD for the translation of Christian texts. We presume the language was based on the spoken language of the Aksum Empire. Very few inscriptions in stone survive, but copied texts from older manuscripts tell us much about the language. Ge‘ez remained the language of the Ethiopian Church, and thus it has survived to the present day as a written language.

Ge‘ez is linguistically a member of the southeast Semitic family of languages. Some scholars believe that Semitic influences in Ethiopia were the result of migrations of Ge‘ez speakers from South Arabia. These immigrants sought to form commercial colonies in Ethiopian territory perhaps as early as the mid-1^st millennium BC. In this way Ge‘ez language spread into Ethiopia, particularly among those persons involved in long distance trade. Typically such people are the wealthiest and most influential in a society, and their language takes dominance.

 

Return to Main Exhibit Page | Next