<P> After the fall of the Derg in 1991, the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia granted all ethnic groups the right to develop their languages and to establish first language primary education systems . This is a marked change to the language policies of previous governments in Ethiopia . </P> <P> In terms of writing systems, Ethiopia's principal orthography is the Ge'ez script . Employed as an abugida for several of the country's languages, it first came into usage in the sixth and fifth centuries BC as an abjad to transcribe the Semitic Ge'ez language . Ge'ez now serves as the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches . Other writing systems have also been used over the years by different Ethiopian communities . These include Arabic script for writing some Ethiopian languages spoken by Muslim populations and Sheikh Bakri Sapalo's script for Oromo . Today, many Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilo - Saharan languages are written in Roman / Latin script . </P> <P> According to the 2007 Ethiopian census, the largest first languages are: Amharic 21,634,396 or 29.30%; Oromo language 24,930,424 speakers or 33.80% of the total population Somali 4,609,274 or 6.25%; Tigrinya 4,324,476 or 5.86% Sidamo 2,981,471 or 4.84% Wolaytta 1,627,784 or 2.21%; Gurage 1,481,783 or 2.01% and Afar 1,281,278 or 1.74% . Arabic, which also belongs to the Afroasiatic family, is likewise spoken in some areas of Ethiopia . Many Muslim Ethiopians are also able to speak Arabic because of their religious background . English is the most widely spoken foreign language which is also taught in many schools . Amharic is the official working language in which all federal laws are published, and it is spoken by millions of Ethiopians as a second language . In most regions it is the primary second language in the school curriculum . </P> <Ul> <Li> Ethiopian Semitic <Ul> <Li> North <Ul> <Li> Tigrinya language (also in Eritrea) </Li> <Li> Ge'ez language (extinct, liturgical) </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> South <Ul> <Li> Transverse <Ul> <Li> Amharic language </Li> <Li> Argobba language </Li> <Li> Harari language </Li> <Li> East Gurage languages <Ul> <Li> Silt'e language (Ulbareg, Inneqor) </Li> <Li> Wolane language </Li> <Li> Zay language </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Outersouth <Ul> <Li> North Gurage languages <Ul> <Li> Gafat language (extinct) </Li> <Li> Goggot language </Li> <Li> Soddo language </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> West Gurage languages <Ul> <Li> Chaha (Sebat Bet Gurage) </Li> <Li> Ezha language </Li> <Li> Gumer language </Li> <Li> Gura language </Li> <Li> Gyeto language </Li> <Li> Inor language </Li> <Li> Indegen language </Li> <Li> Mesmes language (extinct) </Li> <Li> Mesqan language </Li> <Li> Muher language </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Cushitic <Ul> <Li> Agaw languages <Ul> <Li> Awngi language, incl . dialect Kunfal </Li> <Li> Qimant language </Li> <Li> Xamtanga language </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> East Cushitic <Ul> <Li> Highland East Cushitic languages <Ul> <Li> Burji language </Li> <Li> Sidaama - Hadiyya - Kambaata <Ul> <Li> Alaba language </Li> <Li> Gedeo language </Li> <Li> Hadiyya language </Li> <Li> Kambaata language </Li> <Li> Libido language </Li> <Li> Sidamo language </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Lowland East Cushitic languages <Ul> <Li> Somali language (also in Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya) </Li> <Li> Saho - Afar <Ul> <Li> Afar language (also in Eritrea and in Djibouti) </Li> <Li> Saho language (also in Eritrea and in Ethiopia spoken by the Irob people) </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Southern Lowland East Cushitic <Ul> <Li> Mainstream Lowland East Cushitic <Ul> <Li> Omo - Tana <Ul> <Li> Arbore language </Li> <Li> Baiso language </Li> <Li> Daasanach language (also in Kenya) </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Oromoid <Ul> <Li> Konso language </Li> <Li> Dirasha language </Li> <Li> Oromo language (also in Kenya) </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Transversal Lowland East Cushitic <Ul> <Li> Bussa language </Li> <Li> Gawwada language </Li> <Li> Tsamai language </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Omotic * (AA classification uncertain) <Ul> <Li> Aari language </Li> <Li> Anfillo language </Li> <Li> Bambassi language </Li> <Li> Basketo language </Li> <Li> Bench language </Li> <Li> Boro language, also called Shinasha </Li> <Li> Chara language </Li> <Li> Dawro language </Li> <Li> Dime language </Li> <Li> Dizi language </Li> <Li> Dorze language </Li> <Li> Gamo language </Li> <Li> Ganza language </Li> <Li> Gayil language </Li> <Li> Gofa language </Li> <Li> Hamer - Banna </Li> <Li> Hozo language </Li> <Li> Kachama - Ganjule language </Li> <Li> Kafa language </Li> <Li> Karo language </Li> <Li> Koorete language </Li> <Li> Male language </Li> <Li> Melo language </Li> <Li> Nayi language </Li> <Li> Oyda language </Li> <Li> Seze language </Li> <Li> Shekkacho language </Li> <Li> Sheko language </Li> <Li> Wolaytta language </Li> <Li> Yemsa language </Li> <Li> Zayse - Zergulla language </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul>

Language which has an official designation in ethiopia