Zay language

Zay
ዛይኘ, የዛይ አፍ
Native toEthiopia
RegionLake Zway
EthnicityZay
Native speakers
14,000 (2005)[1]
Geʽez script
Language codes
ISO 639-3zwa
Glottologzayy1238
ELPZay
Zay is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Zay (Oromo: Lak'i, Laqi) is an Afroasiatic language of the Semitic branch spoken in Ethiopia. It is one of the Gurage languages in the Ethiopian Semitic group. The Zay language has around 5,000 speakers known as the Zay, who inhabit Gelila and the other five islands and shores of Lake Zway in the southern part of the country.

  1. ^ Zay at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon