Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 1.djvu/202

 The civilised Abyssinian highlanders are divided into two main groups, differing from each other in speech and traditions—the Tigre nation, occupying the north-east highlands, and the Amharas and Shoas of the western and southern regions. The features of the Tigre, who have given their name to their province, are perhaps somewhat more characteristic than those of the other Abyssinians, from whom, however, they cannot easily be distinguished. But they speak the Tigrina, a peculiar form of speech derived from the Ghez, the classical language, in which are written all the religious works and liturgies of the Abyssinian nation. Like the Tigrié (Tigré, Tigrai), a kindred dialect current amongst the peoples of the northern slopes along the headstreams of the Barka, the Semitic roots of the Ghez are foimd more or less intermingled in the Tigrina, with Galla and other elements of foreign origin. The " Bedouin " language of the Hababs is a well-preserved form of Ghez, and many Abyssinian theologians have resided amongst these humble highland shepherds in order to study the origin of their sacred language. The Ilassa, another dialect of the same family, differing slightly from Tigrie, has survived amongst the Beni-Amers of the Samhar plains on the coast of the Red Sea. In this direction the Abyssinian linguistic domain is being gradually encroached upon by the Arab, just as the Christian religion itself has recently yielded to Mohammedanism.

Of the two chief Abyssinian languages, the Tigriña and the Amhariila, the latter, also derived from Ghez, predominates, thanks to the higher civilisation and political preponderance of the Arahara people. The Amhariua is the language of trade, diplomacy, and literature, possessing a special alphabet of thirty-three letters, each with seven forms, or two hundred and fifty-one characters altogether, written from left to right, like the European languages. Whole libraries of books have been written in this tongue. The most important works are found in Europe, especially in the British Museum, which possesses as many as three hundred and forty-eight, obtained chiefly from the collections of King Theodore. Most of the Amhariua books have been written for the edification of the faithful; but magic, history, and grammar are also represented in the national literature. Science already possesses three dictionaries of the Amhariila language, the last a philological work of great importance on which d'Abbadie spent more than twenty-five years. The Tigrina dialects possess no literature.

The inhabitants of the various Tigré and Amhara provinces present striking contrasts according to their locality, trade, food, and racial crossings. But apart from the extremes, varying from the pure Negro to the European type, the Abyssinian on the whole may be considered as possessing shapely limbs and regular features. They are mostly of middle height, broad-shouldered, with somewhat slender body, and of very graceful action and carriage. They wear the shuma, a