Beja language
Encyclopedia
Beja or North Cushitic is an Afro-Asiatic language
of the southern coast of the Red Sea
, spoken by about two million nomads, the Beja
, in parts of Egypt
, Sudan
, and Eritrea
.
, but several scholars, notably Robert Hetzron
(1980), have regarded it as an independent branch of Afro-Asiatic.
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
of the southern coast of the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, spoken by about two million nomads, the Beja
Beja people
The Beja people are an ethnic group dwelling in parts of North Africa and the Horn of Africa.-Geography:The Beja are found mostly in Sudan, but also in parts of Eritrea, and Egypt...
, in parts of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
.
Classification
It is usually seen as CushiticCushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
, but several scholars, notably Robert Hetzron
Robert Hetzron
Robert Herzog sitting third from right]]Robert Hetzron, born Herzog , was a Hungarian-born linguist known for his work on the comparative study of Afro-Asiatic languages, as well as for his study of Cushitic and Ethiopian Semitic languages.-Biography:Born in Hungary, Hetzron studied at the...
(1980), have regarded it as an independent branch of Afro-Asiatic.
Further reading
- Herman N. Almkvist. 1881-1885. Die Bischari-Sprache. 3 vols. Uppsala.
- Václav Blažek. 2003. "Beǧa language", in: S. Uhlig et al. (eds.), Encyclopaedia Aethiopica Vol. 1: A-C (Wiesbadn: Harrassowitz), pp. 519b-521b.
- Richard A. HudsonRichard HudsonRichard “Dick” Hudson is a British linguist. He has lived in England for most of his life . He turned into a linguist via Loughborough Grammar School in Leicestershire , Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies...
. 1974. "A structural sketch of Beja," African Language Studies. Ed. D.W. Arnott. London: School of Oriental and African Studies. Pages 111-142. - Richard A. Hudson. 1976. "Beja", in: M. Lionel BenderLionel Bender (linguist)Marvin Lionel Bender was an American author and co-author of several books, publications and essays regarding African languages, particularly from Ethiopia and Sudan. He retired from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He did extensive work in all four language families of Ethiopia: Semitic,...
et al. (eds.), The Non-Semitic Languages of Ethiopia (East Lansing: Michigan University, African Studies Centre), pp. 97–131. - Leo Reinisch. 1893-1895. Die Beḍauye-Sprache in Nordost-Afrika 2. 3 vols. Vienna: F. Tempsky.
- Leo Reinisch. 1895. Wörterbuch der Beḍauye-Sprache. Vienna.
- E. M. Roper. 1927. "The Poetry of the Haḍenḍiwa", in: Sudan Notes and Records 10, pp. 147–158.
- E. M. Roper. 1928. Tu Beḍawiɛ: An Elementary Handbook for the use of Sudan Government Officials. Hertford, Herts, England: Stephen Austin and Sonds, LTD. Oriental and General Printers.
- Rainer Voigt. 1998. "Zur Gliederung des Kuschitischen: das Beḍauye und das Restkuschitische", in: I. Fiedler, C. Griefenow-Mewis & B. Reineke (eds.), Afrikanische Sprachen in Brennpunkt der Forschung: linguistische Beiträge zum 12. Afrikanistentag, Berlin, 3-6 Oktober 1996 (Köln 1998), pp. 309–324.
- Werner Vycichi. 1953. "Der bestimmte Artikel in der Bedja-Sprache", in: Muséon 66, pp. 373–379.
- Wedekind, Klaus and Charlotte Wedekind. 2007. A Learner's Grammar of Beja. Koeln: Koeppe Verlag.
- Andrzej Zaborski. 1975. The Verb in Cushitic. Warszawa.
- Andrzej Zaborski. 1989. "Der Wortschatz der Bedscha-Sprache. Eine vergleichende Analyse", in: Ausgewählte Vorträge. Deutscher Orientalistentag (Stuttgart; ZDMG Supplement VII), pp. 573–591.
- Andrzej Zaborski. 1997. "Problems of the Beja Present Seven Years Ago", in: Lingua Posnaniensis 39, pp. 145–153.