official language of africa

This text focuses primarily on language policy and language legislation in these countries. Portuguese is the official language of six African states, including Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome e Principe and Equatorial Guinea. On one level, there are tensions between its two official language groups, Afrikaans and English. . Algeria, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, sequences of stops and fricatives at the beginnings of words, such as, nasal stops which only occur with nasal vowels, such as. It is also widely spoken by West African expats in the US and UK. Although it lost its official status in the 1990s, it has been redesignated as a national language. Arabic. South Africa has 11 official languages, making the country having the second-largest number of official languages next to Bolivia and India. Sign language systems extant in Africa include the Paget Gorman Sign System used in Namibia and Angola, the Sudanese Sign languages used in Sudan and South Sudan, the Arab Sign languages used across the Arab Mideast, the Francosign languages used in Francophone Africa and other areas such as Ghana and Tunisia, and the Tanzanian Sign languages used in Tanzania. Hence, French is the official language of 19 countries in Africa but it does not mean French is widely spoken in French . and appreciate their linguistic diversities through language policies that uphold The Afroasiatic Urheimat is uncertain. Berber is an Afro-Asiatic language made up of twenty-six closely related languages. A vast majority of Arabic speakers in the continent also practice Islam as the predominant religion. There are 19 French speaking African countries. It is the second largest and second most populated on Earth containing over 1,500 languages spoken, across its 1.1 billion strong population.Many of its languages are Western derived languages, primarily from French and English, but indigenous African languages are incredibly rich and diverse. Of the world's surviving language families, Afroasiatic has the longest written history, as both the Akkadian language of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egyptian are members. There are five Khoisan families that have not been shown to be related to each other: Khoe, Tuu and Kx’a, which are found mainly in Namibia and Botswana, as well as Sandawe and Hadza of Tanzania, which are language isolates. The volume concludes with a discussion of language development and language management. The aim of this book is to inform both scholars and the public about the nature and extent of the problem of language decline and death in Africa. . For everything from news and culture to technology, business, education, entertainment, and travel, AFRICA.COM is here to help you stay smart about the continent. This book focuses on language, culture, and identity in nineteen countries in Africa. Many second-generation people from India, Portugal, Germany, and Greece speak English as L1. A fair number of unclassified languages are reported in Africa. It's also common knowledge that Spanish is the official language of Spain. Trade languages are another age-old phenomenon in the African linguistic landscape. Official language: Mostly north. IsiZulu, or Zulu, is one of South Africa’s official language, and has over 10 million speakers. 10 Important Facts About The Russian Revolution. The English language first came to the southern tip of Africa 1795 when the British occupied the Cape of Good Hope in order to protect their trade with India and the Orient. Many of the languages exist in written form. The Oromo people account for more than 40% of the Ethiopian population, and are the largest ethnic group in the country. The most widely spoken home language in South Africa (where nearly 95 percent of all Zulu-speakers live), Zulu is understood by approximately half of the country's population. . It is spoken mainly in northern Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Germany, Ghana, Sudan, Togo and much of North Africa. (The questionable branches of Nilo-Saharan were covered above, and are not repeated here.). AU Languages. It is a Bantu language believed to have originated from other languages, mainly Arabic, due to historical interactions between Arabs from the Middle East and East Africans. Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to SIL Ethnologue),[3] one of the greatest concentrations of linguistic diversity in the world. Several of these are extinct, and adequate comparative data is thus unlikely to be forthcoming. It is unavoidable that all the official languages have exerted influences on each other. African language isolates. "This book argues for the need to empower African indigenous languages for greater functions in national life. Many remain unclassified simply for lack of data; among the better-investigated ones that continue to resist easy classification are: Of these, Jalaa is perhaps the most likely to be an isolate. Arabic is a co-official language in some countries such as Chad, Djibouti, and Somalia, and is also widely spoken in countries that do not recognize it as an national language. 2,000 distinct languages. Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, downstep and downdrift are common in African languages. (See African French and African Portuguese.) Swahili is Tanzania's official language, as well as the medium of instruction in all schools. Swahili is the most spoken language in Africa, with over 100 million speakers. All of the following are benefits resulting from the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt except _____. The language was made prominent by author Chinua Achebe, who wrote the popular book “Things Fall Apart” and wrote most of his books in Igbo, mirroring and popularizing Igbo culture. Lingua franca definition is any language that is widely used as a means of communication among speakers of other languages. Another hundred belong to smaller families such as Ubangian (sometimes grouped within Niger-Congo) and the various families called Khoisan, or the Indo-European and Austronesian language families mainly spoken outside Africa; the presence of the latter two dates to 2,600 and 1,500 years ago, respectively. South Africa is a multi-lingual society that has some unique linguistic problems because of its policy of apartheid. The proposed family has a speech area that stretches from the Nile Valley to northern Tanzania and into Nigeria and DR Congo, with the Songhay languages along the middle reaches of the Niger River as a geographic outlier. Spanish is also spoken by small pockets of people in Morocco which is geographically close to Spain and also in Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). there is a challenge of language barrier between out traders with their counterparts and consumers from other east African countries. Languages of the World and where they are spoken, a list of Language Names in English and French with ISO 639-2 Alpha-3 as well as some of the Alpha-2 language identification . It was named after a Germanic tribe, the Angles, that migrated to England. Nairobi, Kenya: Oxford University . Africa, 33(3), 237–265. 4:42 In the 19th century Swahili became the official language of Germany's East African colony, what is now Tanzania. In addition to English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, and English Creole are widely spoken. The people of Benin speak Fon, Ge, Bariba, Yoruba, and Dendi, as well. Swaziland: Official language Article 11 of the Protocol on Amendments to the Constitutive Act of the African Union states the The official languages of the Union and all its institutions shall be Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Kiswahili and any other African language. Number of National Languages - 11. The three small Khoisan families of southern Africa have not been shown to be closely related to any other major language family. Widespread syntactical structures include the common use of adjectival verbs and the expression of comparison by means of a verb 'to surpass'. English is the language of science and business in South Africa and the lingua franca of the country. About 130 million, 115 million and 35 million Africans, respectively, speak them as either native or secondary languages. Somali language, with over 20 million native speakers in Somalia proper and additional 10 million as their second language, without a doubt the Somalia language is the most developed language in all the African languages. Language is not static in Africa any more than on other continents. Chinua Achebe's first novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures in people's lives. I listened to South Africa's national anthem before, which has 5 languages (Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English). While this remains the case even today, most Africans speak indigenous African languages as a first language and colonial languages are generally spoken as a second or third language. African languages form part of four language groups, namely Afro-Asiatic covering Northern Africa, Central Sahara and the Horn of Africa, Nilo-Saharian covering Central and Eastern Africa, Niger-Congo covering Central, Southern and Eastern Africa and Khoisan, covering the western part of Southern Africa. Tone melodies play an important role, meaning that it is often possible to state significant generalizations by separating tone sequences ("melodies") from the segments that bear them. Some prominent Africans such as former Malian president and former Chairman of the African Commission, Alpha Oumar Konaré, have referred to cross-border languages as a factor that can promote African unity.[26]. These states are also referred to as Lusophone Africa. With words from many different languages making . To say hello in Shona, one says “Mhoro”. With more than 20 million speakers, Malagasy is one of the most widely spoken of the Austronesian languages. It coexists on the continent with indigenous languages, mainly the Niger-Congo family languages in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau and Portuguese-based creoles in Guinea. What is the official language of Johannesburg South Africa? There are over 120 million French speakers who use the language as their mother tongue or secondary language. (Franck 1929:1) In conclusion, the history of Dutch in colonial Africa in principle unfolds along two different tracks in two different parts of the continent, one in the . International University of Africa is among the best educational institutions in Sudan, that is among the top 5 universities according to the national rankings. Often schools are instructed in European . The French language in Africa is usually the lingua franca or the language for business and education. Other widely spoken languages of Africa include Berber, which is a popular dialect in North Africa, specifically in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Mali and Egypt, with approximately 20 million speakers; Somali, which is a Cushitic language spoken in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya by approximately 20 million speakers; Fulani, which is widely spoken in western and Central Africa by approximately 18 million speakers; Rundi from Burundi which is spoken by over 10 million people; Kinyarwanda in, 4th International Trade Show Agrofood & Plastprintpack Ethiopia, NESCAFÉ Wins Best Coffee Brand At The 2021 Kenya Beverage Excellence Awards, Over Half World’s Population Now Using Mobile Internet, Wikimedia Foundation Launches Campaign With South African Creative Community, Expanding Its Footprint In Africa: Flat6Labs Announces Second Close Its Tunisia Seed Fund With The Participation Of Sawari Ventures, Succession Planning In South Africa – An Opportunity, Not A Tick-Boxing Exercise, Guinea: Justice for 2009 massacre must be at heart of political transition, DR Congo: Abuse allegations amid Ebola outbreak ‘a sickening betrayal of the people we serve’, SAP Young Professionals Program evolves to meet Africa’s digital skills demands, The WLP Welcomes Nigeria As A Strategic Hub In West Africa, Global Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise. South Africa. Some neighbouring Bantu languages (notably Xhosa and Zulu) have clicks as well, but these were adopted from Khoisan languages. Portuguese has become a post-colonial language in Africa and one of the working languages of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. Arabic is the most widespread language in Africa and is the official or national language of Mauritania, Mali and Niger. Today, English is the country's lingua franca, and the primary language of South Africa's Asian people, although many also retain their languages of origin. Nairobi, Kenya: Oxford University . The aim of this research is to establish whether introducing isiBhaca as a medium of instruction in Umzimkhulu will improve the performance of primary school learners who are isiBhaca speakers. Arabic . It is the second most widely spoken Bantu language, after Shona, and is written using the Latin alphabet. Niger–Congo is generally accepted by linguists, though a few question the inclusion of Mande and Dogon, and there is no conclusive evidence for the inclusion of Ubangian. official languages to enjoy parity of esteem and be treated equitably; AND WHEREAS section 6(4) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that national government must regulate and monitor its use of official One of its salient features is an elaborate noun class system with grammatical concord.A large majority of languages of this family are tonal such as Yoruba and Igbo, Akan and Ewe language.A major branch of Niger-Congo languages is the Bantu . From primary to university education, media and cultural stand point, Somali language is a thriving African language. Of the 1 billion Africans (in 2009), about 17 percent speak an Arabic dialect. This video is all about the languages and linguistic diversity of South Africa.Are you learning a language? Zimbabwe. Throughout the long multilingual history of the African continent, African languages have been subject to phenomena like language contact, language expansion, language shift and language death. English is the language of big business, higher education and government. The Harare Declaration After gaining independence, many African countries adopted the language of their colonizers Order. A striking feature of Khoisan languages, and the reason they are often grouped together, is their use of click consonants. After 1991, the language adopted the Latin alphabet. African Countries that Speak Spanish. The Niger–Kordofanian language family, joining Niger–Congo with the Kordofanian languages of south-central Sudan, was proposed in the 1950s by Joseph Greenberg. Of particular importance in this respect are Berber (North and West Africa), Jula (western West Africa), Fulfulde (West Africa), Hausa (West Africa), Lingala (Congo), Swahili (Southeast Africa), Somali (Horn of Africa) and Arabic (North Africa and Horn of Africa). Quite often, only one term is used for both animal and meat; the word nama or nyama for animal/meat is particularly widespread in otherwise widely divergent African languages. To say hello in Hausa, one says “Sannu”. Most African countries have a population composed of a multitude of language groups and most African citizens have a varied repertoire. Beside the possibilities listed above, there are: Roger Blench notes a couple additional possibilities: Below is a list of language isolates and otherwise unclassified languages in Africa, from Vossen & Dimmendaal (2020:434):[18], Many African countries have national sign languages, such as Algerian Sign Language, Tunisian Sign Language, Ethiopian Sign Language. It is an official language in South Africa and the lingua franca in Namibia. The writing of the language was forbidden between 1974 and 1991 under the Mengistu regime, even though limited usage of the Ge’ez script was allowed. To say hello in Amharic, one says, “Salam”. Webb, Vic and Kembo-Sure (editors) (1998). South African language is a fascinating topic, not least because the country is home to an impressive 11 official languages. It was spread when the British took over from the Dutch in the 1800s. This can cause divergence of a language on either side of a border (especially when the official languages are different), for example, in orthographic standards. English is the official language of Nigeria. It's also the official language of 20 countries, in addition to being an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and other worldwide organizations. Arabic, Somali, Berber, Amharic, Oromo, Igbo, Swahili, Hausa, Manding, Fulani and Yoruba are spoken by tens of millions of people. Hausa is one of Nigeria’s official languages, and one of the most spoken Chadic languages on the continent, with over 40 million native and second language speakers. These languages can be classified into two main language families: the Afro-Asiatic language family . to say hello in Portuguese, one says “Olá”. Oromo is spoken by over 30 million people in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt. Auxiliary verbs are also widespread among African languages; the fusing of subject markers and TAM/polarity auxiliaries into what are known as tense pronouns are more common in auxiliary verb constructions in African languages than in most other parts of the world.[29]. This is a study of the vernacular speech of a mixed-race community in Cape Town. Some notable cross-border languages include Berber (which stretches across much of North Africa and some parts of West Africa), Kikongo (that stretches across northern Angola, western and coastal Democratic Republic of the Congo, and western and coastal Republic of the Congo), Somali (stretches across most of the Horn of Africa), Swahili (spoken in the African Great Lakes region), Fula (in the Sahel and West Africa) and Luo (in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan). Two languages are chosen to be the official languages used by the central administration: Hindi is the . Arabic speakers in Africa account for 62% of the total Arabic speakers in the world. It is Bantu language from the Bantu/Nguni family of languages, and has speakers in Botswana and Mozambique. 5. Islam. It is written in the Ge’ez or Ethiopic script, with over 30 different characters. All 11 languages share equal emphasis and importance, in usage and in development. Sango, the main language of the Central African Republic); while in Cameroon a creole based on French, English and local African languages known as Camfranglais has started to become popular. Swahili is Tanzania’s official language, as well as the medium of instruction in all schools. Constitutional Court in the 11 official languages of South Africa. One of Nigeria’s official languages, Igbo is spoken by over 20 million people, with a significant amount of speakers in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. and the linguistic and cultural . Language in Kenya. This book discusses the effects of globalization on languages in Africa. It is also the most widespread official language on the continent, incluing in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Some linguistic features are particularly common among languages spoken in Africa, whereas others are less common.
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