Agaw languages

The Agaw, or Central Cushitic, languages are a small branch of Cushitic languages. They are spoken mainly in Ethiopia.

Agaw
Central Cushitic
Ethnicity:	Agaw people
Geographic distribution:	Ethiopia and central Eritrea
Linguistic classification:	Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Agaw
Subdivisions:	Awngi Bilen Qimant Xamtanga

Languages

• Awngi (South Agaw) spoken southwest of Lake Tana, the largest, with over 350,000 speakers

(Kunfal, spoken west of Lake Tana, is not well recorded but is probably a dialect of Awngi)

• Northern Agaw:
  • Bilen–Xamtanga:
    • Bilen (North) spoken (70,000 speakers) in Eritrea around the town of Keren and eastern Sudan around the town of Kassala
    • Xamtanga (Central Agaw; also called Khamir, Khamta) 143,000 speakers in the North Amhara Region
  • Qimant (Western Agaw) nearly extinct, spoken by the Qemant in Semien Gondar Zone

(dialects Qwara – nearly extinct, spoken by Beta Israel formerly living in Qwara, now in Israel; Kayla – extinct, formerly spoken by some Beta Israel, transitional between Qimant and Xamtanga)