Arguably, the most useful, indigenous African languages for Americans to learn are Yoruba (primarily spoken in Nigeria), Xhosa (South Africa), Swahili (Kenya, Tanzania, and much of East Africa), and Amharic (mainly Ethiopia).
Which African language is easiest to learn?
Swahili is said to be the easiest African language for an English speaker to learn. It is heavily influenced by Arabic and Indo-European languages such as Portuguese, German, English, and French. It’s one of the few sub-Saharan African languages that have no lexical tone, just as in English.
What language is most commonly spoken in Africa?
The most spoken language in Africa is Swahili which is said to have between 100 and 150 million speakers. Known as a ‘Bantu’ language, Swahili apparently originated from other languages like Arabic.
What is the hardest language in Africa?
Taa, the last vital language of the Tuu language family and formerly called ʻSouthern Khoisan’, it is believed to be the world’s most difficult language. Part of the Khoisan language group and is spoken in the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, it is also known as ! Xóõ or !
What are the top 10 languages spoken in Africa?
10 Most Spoken Languages in Africa
- Swahili: Swahili, known as Kiswahili in the native tongue, is a Bantu language spoken by some 150 million Africans in the African Great Lakes region in Central and Southern Africa. …
- Arabic: …
- French: …
- Hausa: …
- Yoruba: …
- Oromo: …
- Igbo: …
- Amharic:
9.04.2021
How do you say hello in an African language?
South Africa
- Zulu: Sawubona (Hello)
- Xhosa: Molo (Hello)
- Afrikaans: Hallo (Hello)
- English: Hello.
26.11.2019
Which language is the hardest to learn?
The Hardest Languages In The World To Learn
- Mandarin. Right at the top is the most spoken language in the world: Mandarin. …
- Arabic. Number two, Arabic, challenges English speakers because most letters are written in 4 different forms depending on where they’re placed in a word. …
- Japanese. …
- Hungarian. …
- Korean. …
- Finnish. …
- Basque. …
- Navajo.
6.12.2016
What are the 11 languages?
South Africa’s Constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. For centuries South Africa’s official languages were European – Dutch, English, Afrikaans.
Who speaks the best English in Africa?
A report by the World Linguistic Society has named Uganda as the best English speaking country in Africa. The study names Uganda at the top, followed by Zambia, South Africa and Kenya respectively.
What is the oldest African language?
Afrikaans is one of the official languages of South Africa. It belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European family. It evolved from the variety of Dutch which was spoken by Dutch settlers in South Africa.
What is the hardest language for English speakers to learn?
The Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers
- Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. …
- Arabic. …
- Polish. …
- Russian. …
- Turkish. …
- Danish.
25.02.2021
Which language is spoken most in world?
English is the largest language in the world, if you count both native and non-native speakers. If you count only native speakers, Mandarin Chinese is the largest. Mandarin Chinese is the largest language in the world when counting only first language (native) speakers.
What percentage of Africa speaks Swahili?
About 10 percent speak Swahili, the lingua franca of Southeast Africa; about 5 percent speak a Berber dialect; and about 5 percent speak Hausa, which serves as a lingua franca in much of the Sahel.
Which language is mostly spoken in South Africa?
The most common language spoken as a first language by South Africans is Zulu (23 percent), followed by Xhosa (16 percent), and Afrikaans (14 percent).
What are the 3 most spoken languages in Africa?
Overview of the Most Spoken Languages in Africa
Horn of Africa: Amharic (~25M speakers), spoken in Ethiopia, plus Oromo (50+M speakers) and Somali. West Africa: Hausa (~115M speakers), mostly in the Sahel, as well as Yoruba, Igbo, and Fula. South Africa: Zulu and Xhosa (two similar languages)
What is the native language of Africa?
Demographics. Of the 890 million Africans (as of 2005), about 17% speak an Arabic dialect. About 10% speak Swahili, the lingua franca of Southeastern Africa, about 5% speak a Berber dialect, and about 5% speak Hausa, a West African lingua franca. Other important West African languages are Yoruba, Igbo and Fula.