Tigré language | Eritrean, Semitic, Afro-Asiatic | Britannica (original) (raw)

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Tigré language, Semitic language of the Tigre people of northwestern Eritrea and smaller areas of neighbouring Sudan. It is closely related to the ancient Geʿez language and modern Tigrinya. A few religious texts prepared by mission societies are the only documents in the language. Tigré serves as a second language for many nearby Cushitic and Nilotic peoples. There were more than 1,000,000 speakers in the late 20th century.