Somalis speak a language called Af-Soomaali, which is a branch of the Cushitic language family and part of the bigger Afro-Asian language family. It is a Lowland East Cushitic language, just like the Afar and Saho languages, which are its closest cousins. Somali is the Cushitic language that has been studied the most, with the first academic papers being written in it before 1900.Over 19 million Somalis live in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Kenya, and many more speak the Somali diaspora language. Somali is the second most common Cushitic language spoken after Oromo.
A few people and groups from nearby ethnic minorities also speak it as their second language. A majority of the people in the Federal Republic of Somalia speak Somali as their first language. It is also the national language of Djibouti and is used for work in the Somali area of Ethiopia.
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