Qwara language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Qwara, or Qwareña (called "Falashan" in some older sources), is an Agaw language spoken by the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) of the Qwara area, closely related to Qemant.
The language was on the decline in the early 20th Century, as it was being slowly replaced by Amharic. During Operation Solomon, most of its remaining speakers were airlifted to Israel, where it continues to lose ground to Hebrew.
Several early Falashan manuscripts, using the Geez alphabet, exist; in more recent times, the language has been recorded by several linguists and travellers, starting with Flad in 1866.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Kaïliña — a 'new' Agaw dialect and its implications for Agaw dialectology", in Voice and Power: The Culture of Language in North-East Africa, R.J. Hayward and I. Lewis (eds.), pp. 1-19. London: SOAS, 1996 (March). ISBN 0-7286-0257-1.