Tigrinya-English/ English-Tigrinya Dictionary & Phrasebook

This combination Tigrinya phrasebook and two-way Tigrinya-English dictionary is an essential reference while traveling in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebook series allows you be a traveler, not a tourist, by connecting with the local culture and people in their native language.

Tigrinya (also written as Tigrigna) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by about 7 million people, primarily in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Tigrinya is written in the same Ge’ez script used for the Ethiopic language Amharic, but Tigrinya grammar and usage differs significantly from Amharic.This unique, two-part resource provides travelers to Eritrea and Ethiopia with the tools they need for daily interaction. The bilingual dictionary has a concise vocabulary for everyday use, and the phrasebook allows instant communication on a variety of topics.

Ideal for businesspeople, travelers, students, and aid workers, this guide includes:

4,000 dictionary entries
Phonetics that are intuitive for English speakers
Essential phrases on topics such as transportation, dining out, and business
Concise grammar and pronunciation sections

Author Biography

Tedros Hagos Weldemichael holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of the Western Cape (Cape Town). Currently, he teaches in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape. He has formerly served as a lecturer in the Department of Eritrean Languages and Literature at University of Asmara and other institutions of higher education in Eritrea. Aquilina Mawadza has held lectureship and adjunct faculty positions at the University of the Western Cape, the University of Zimbabwe and Howard University. She holds a PhD degree in Media & Migration Studies and an M.A in Languages and Communication from the University of Florida, where she also taught Shona. She is the author of Beginner’s Shona with 2 Audio CDs, also by Hippocrene Books. She resides in Cape Town, South Africa.