| Dahalik (ዳሃሊክ) | |
|---|---|
| Dahaalik, Dahalik, Dahlak | |
| Native to | Eritrea |
| Region | Dahlak Archipelago |
|
Native speakers
|
2,500 (2012) |
|
Afro-Asiatic
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | daha1247 |
Dahalik (ዳሃሊክ [haka (na)] dahālík, "[language (of)] the people of Dahlak"; also Dahaalik, Dahlik, Dahlak) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken exclusively in Eritrea. Its speech area is off the coast of Massawa, on three islands in the Dahlak Archipelago: Dahlak Kebir, Nora and Dehil. It has around 2,500 to 3,000 speakers.
Dahalik belongs to the Afro-Asiatic family's Semitic branch, a member of the Ethiosemitic group, and is closely related to Tigre and Tigrinya. It is said to be not mutually intelligible with Tigre (see Shaebia below), and, according to Simeone-Senelle, is sufficiently different to be considered a separate language. However, there are those who disagree.