Kayla, or Kayliñña (
Ge'ez: ካይላ ''kāylā'', for the people,
Ge'ez: ካይልኛ ''kāylññā'', Kayla,
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
, and
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literature ...
for the language) is one of two
Agaw dialects formerly spoken by a subgroup of the
Beta Israel
The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
(Ethiopian Jews). It is a dialect of
Qimant. The name ''Kayla'' is sometimes also used as a cover term for both Beta Israel dialects. It is known only from unpublished notes by
Jacques Faitlovitch written in the
Ge'ez alphabet, recently studied by
David Appleyard
David Appleyard (born 1950 in Leeds, England) is a British academic and an specialist in Ethiopian languages and linguistics.
He is Professor Emeritus of the Languages of the Horn of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in ...
. It is preserved by the Beta Israel today.
See also
*
Qwara dialect
Qwara, or Qwareña (called "Falasha" (Hwarasa) in some older sources), was one of two Agaw dialects, spoken by a subgroup of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) of the Qwara area. It is a dialect of Qimant. It is nearly extinct. Several early Fal ...
Bibliography
*
*
David Appleyard
David Appleyard (born 1950 in Leeds, England) is a British academic and an specialist in Ethiopian languages and linguistics.
He is Professor Emeritus of the Languages of the Horn of Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in ...
, "Preparing a Comparative Agaw Dictionary", in ed. Griefenow-Mewis & Voigt, ''Cushitic & Omotic Languages: Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium Berlin, Mar. 17-19, 1994'', Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Köln 1996. .
References
Jewish languages
Jews and Judaism in Ethiopia
Languages of Ethiopia
{{Jewish-hist-stub