Thus it could be argued that European languages today are written in script derived from Africa—not the other way around. Although Africa is known for its oral traditions, there have also been several indigenous African writing systems, some of which are still in use today. Used in Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ge’ez is the only native African script taught in school today used widely in everyday interactions. Dating back to the 9th century BC, Ge’ez itself is an extinct language, much like Latin, only used in the liturgy of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches. But the Ge’ez script is used to write Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre and most other languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea. And with a population of over 90 million residing in those two countries, Ge’ez is the most successful native African script today.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Jun 2014 16:36:54 +0000
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