The latest estimation of the number of Niger-Congo languages is about 1,400. All of these are considered to be distinct languages and not simply dialects. The named dialects of these languages number many thousands more, not to mention the variant names for those languages and dialects.
What are the languages spoken in Niger?
Французский
Where is Niger-Congo languages spoken?
Where are Niger-Congo languages spoken? These languages are spoken in a large part of the African continent, equivalent to two thirds of the continent, and including all of Sub-Saharan Africa: West to East from Senegal to the Comoro Islands, North to South from Niger to South Africa.
What are the countries in Niger-Congo?
Niger-Congo Language Family
| Benue-Congo (961 languages) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fula | 12 million | Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Benin, Guinea, Senegal |
| Wolof | 3.6 million | Senegal |
| Serer-Sine | 1.2 million | Senegal, Gambia |
| Themne | 1.2 million | Sierra Leone |
Where did Niger-Congo languages originate?
Although most researchers believe the Niger-Congo speakers originated in West Africa, their origin may have been in the Saharan highlands. The traditional view of the dispersal of the Niger-Congo speakers would place their original home in the woodland savanna zone of West Africa, in the area of the Niger Basin.
Do people in Niger speak English?
The languages of Nigeria are classified into three broad linguistic groups: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Afro-Asiatic. … It is the most widely spoken language, although English is the official language of Nigeria. In addition to English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, and English Creole are widely spoken.
Is English spoken in Niger?
There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language of Nigeria is English, the language of former colonial British Nigeria. As reported in 2003, Nigerian English and Nigerian Pidgin were spoken as a second language by 100 million people in Nigeria.
Is Igbo a Bantu?
No, Igbos are not Bantu. … Igbo is classified under the Volta-Niger/West Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family, of which, Igbo’s closest major relatives are, for example, Yoruba and Edo.
Is Yoruba a Bantu?
No, the Yoruba are not Bantu. Yoruba belongs to the Niger-Congo family of languages. Most Yoruba speakers live in the West African nations of Nigeria and Benin. There are about 40 million people who have Yoruba as a first language.
What language families are only in Japan and Korea?
Japonic languages
| Japonic | |
|---|---|
| Japanese–Ryukyuan | |
| Geographic distribution | Japan, possibly formerly on the Korean Peninsula |
| Linguistic classification | One of the world’s primary language families |
| Proto-language | Proto-Japonic |
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.
Which language is most 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 most spoken language in the 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.
Is Niger a language?
French
Where is the Niger-Congo language family mostly spoken?
In two countries, Niger and Chad, Niger-Congo languages are spoken by a minority. In northern Nigeria, northern Uganda, and Kenya there are substantial populations speaking other languages, but even in these countries the majority of the population speaks a Niger-Congo language.
Is Mande a Bantu language?
Westermann included Mande in his language family “West Sudanic” and also suggested that the Bantu languages were a part of this grouping. … Many linguists are skeptical of basing the classification on purely lexical evidence, but the Mande languages are today still a part of the Niger-Congo family (Bendor-Samuel 49-53).