Language
The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic, a Semitic language which is spoken by about 27 million people (2.7 million expatriate). Amharic is written with the Ge'ez script, with derives its name from the ancient Semitic language of the same name. The second most widely-used language in Ethiopia is the Oromo language, a Cushitic language spoken by about 30% of the population.
Although the majority of Ethiopians speak a Semitic or Cushitic language, Ethiopia has eighty-four indigenous languages. Some of these include:
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English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is the medium of instruction in secondary schools. Although Amharic was the language of primary school instruction, it has now been replaced in many areas by local languages such as Oromifa and Tigrinya.