: The most diverse branch with 150–190 languages, including Hausa , a major West African lingua franca.
Despite their vast differences, these languages often share distinctive traits inherited from a common ancestor: afrasian language
: Found in the Horn of Africa; includes Oromo and Somali . : The most diverse branch with 150–190 languages,
: The only branch with a major presence outside Africa; includes Arabic (the family's most spoken language), Amharic, Tigrinya, and Modern Hebrew. which survives as a liturgical language.
: Consists of the now-extinct Ancient Egyptian and its descendant, Coptic, which survives as a liturgical language.