Languages of Egypt
See language map.Arab Republic of Egypt, Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah. 72,850,000. National or official languages: Standard Arabic, Egyptian Spoken Arabic. Literacy rate: 55% (1993 govt. figure). Immigrant languages: Adyghe, Algerian Saharan Spoken Arabic (20,500), Algerian Spoken Arabic (1,300,000), Amharic (5,000), Armenian (100,000), Bedawiyet (77,000), Gulf Spoken Arabic (1,260,000), Italian (72,400), Moroccan Spoken Arabic (1,340,000), North Levantine Spoken Arabic (117,000), South Levantine Spoken Arabic (50,000), Sudanese Spoken Arabic (1,420,000), Ta’izzi-Adeni Spoken Arabic (116,000), Tosk Albanian (18,000), Turkish (29,000), West Central Oromo (2,200). Information mainly from J. Cowan 1973; J. Applegate 1970. Blind population: 1,000,000. Deaf institutions: 4. The number of individual languages listed for Egypt is 12. Of those, 11 are living languages and 1 has no known speakers.
| Arabic, Eastern Egyptian Bedawi Spoken | [avl]
860,000 in Egypt (2006). Population total all countries: 1,690,000. Bedouin regions in Sinai; parts of Red Sea coast, almost to south border; entire east bank. Also in Israel, Jordan, Palestinian West Bank and Gaza, Syria.
Alternate names: Bedawi, Levantine Bedawi Arabic, Levantine Bedawi Spoken Arabic.
Dialects: Northeast Egyptian Bedawi Arabic, South Levantine Bedawi Arabic, North Levantine Bedawi Arabic. Similar to some Hijazi dialects in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Arabic, Egyptian Spoken | [arz]
52,500,000 in Egypt (2006). Population total all countries: 53,990,000. Also in Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
Alternate names: Lower Egypt Arabic, Masri, Massry, Normal Egyptian Arabic.
Dialects: North Delta Arabic, South Central Delta Arabic, Cairene Arabic. Egyptian Spoken Arabic, based on Cairo speech (Cairene) is the most widely understood variety used for media, both in Egypt and throughout the non-nomadic Arab world. It is an amalgam of Delta Arabic and Middle Egypt Arabic, with borrowings from literary Arabic.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Arabic, Sa’idi Spoken | [aec]
19,000,000 (2006). Cairo south edge to Sudan border. Middle Egypt in Bani Sweef, Fayyuum, and Gizeh; Upper Egypt from Asyuut to Edfu and south.
Alternate names: Sa’idi, Upper Egypt Arabic.
Dialects: Middle Egypt Arabic, Upper Egypt Arabic. Similar to Sudanese Arabic [apd], especially in the south, but heavily influenced by Cairene Arabic (Cairo speech).
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Arabic, Standard | [arb]
Middle East, North Africa.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Arabic, Western Egyptian Bedawi Spoken | [ayl]
316,000 in Egypt (2002). Bedouin regions from Alexandria edge west to Libya border; some in western oases.
Alternate names: Bedawi, Libyan Spoken Arabic, Maghrebi Arabic, Sulaimitian Arabic.
Dialects: Western Egyptian Bedawi Arabic, Tripolitanian Arabic, Southern Libyan Arabic, Eastern Libyan Arabic.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic
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| Coptic | [cop]
Extinct.
Alternate names: Neo-Egyptian.
Dialects: Bohairic, Sahidic.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Egyptian
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| Domari | [rmt]
2,280,000 in Egypt (2006). Muslim Gypsies in Egypt: 1,080,000. Ghagar mainly in Dakahlia Governorate, north of Cairo.
Dialects: Nawar (Ghagar), Helebi.
Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Dom
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| Egypt Sign Language | [esl]
Classification: Deaf sign language
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| Greek | [ell]
42,000 in Egypt (2004). Alexandria.
Classification: Indo-European, Greek, Attic
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| Kenuzi-Dongola | [kzh]
865,000 in Egypt (2006). 40% in Upper Nile valley, mainly at Kom Ombo; scattered in cities.
Alternate names: Dongola-Kenuz, Dongolawi, Metoki, Nile Nubian.
Dialects: Dongola, Kenuz (Kenuzi, Kunuzi, Kenzi).
Classification: Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Eastern, Nubian, Central, Dongolawi
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| Nobiin | [fia]
310,000 in Egypt (2006). Northern Province, north from Burgeg to Egypt border at Wadi Halfa; Kassala Province, New Halfa; 40% in Upper Nile Valley, mainly near Kom Ombo; scattered in cities.
Alternate names: Fadicca, Fadicha, Fadija, Fedicca, Fedija, Fiadidja, Fiadidja-Mahas, Fiyadikkya, Mahas, Mahas-Fiadidja, Nile Nubian, Sukot.
Classification: Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Eastern, Nubian, Northern
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| Siwi | [siz]
30,000 (2006). Northwest desert, Siwa Oasis; several isolated villages in west oasis.
Alternate names: Oasis Berber, Sioua, Siwa, Zenati.
Dialects: Not closely related to other Berber languages.
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Eastern, Siwa
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