Languages of Africa

There are 1,250 to 2,100 and by some counts over 3,000 languages spoken natively in Africa, in several major language families:

Afroasiatic is spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel

Nilo-Saharan is centered on Sudan and Chad (disputed validity)

Niger–Congo (Bantu and non-Bantu) covers West, Central, Southeast and Southern Africa

Khoe is concentrated in the deserts of Namibia and Botswana

Austronesian is spoken in Madagascar.

Indo-European is spoken on the southern tip of the continent.

There are several other small families and language isolates, as well as obscure languages that have yet to be classified. In addition, Africa has a wide variety of sign languages, many of which are language isolates.

About a hundred of the languages of Africa are widely used for inter-ethnic communication. Arabic, Somali, Berber, Amharic, Oromo, Swahili, Hausa, Manding, Igbo, Fulani and Yoruba are spoken by tens of millions of people. If clusters of up to a hundred similar languages are counted together, twelve are spoken by 75 percent, and fifteen by 85 percent, of Africans as a first or additional language.

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/Languages_of_Africa

Latest News for: African languages

Our view: The U.S. vs. breastfeeding

Winston-Salem Journal 21 Jul 2018

The Times reported that American officials wanted language that called for governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding” to be removed, along with other verbiage about the potential issues with some food products for young children ... So did several other countries — many of them developing African nations — that were approached about sponsoring the language....

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Google translator hides mysterious message over doomsday and apocalypse

International Business Times 21 Jul 2018

Creative Commons/Peter Hokor. Using Google translator, a section of conspiracy theorists has found a strange connection between dogs and doomsday. To find this mysterious connection, users should try to translate West African language 'Yoruba' into English ... It should be also noted that no other languages apart from Yoruba brought this message to the screen. IB Times India ... "A mystery a message or mischief that's a coin toss ... Google ... News . ....

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OPINION: Wikipedia hosts conference in Africa to save African languages

Independent online (SA) 20 Jul 2018

This illustrates the extent to which African languages and knowledge exist on Wikipedia and the internet ... If African governments’ information is also not available in African languages, how can European organisations be expected to present information in African languages? ... A deliberate effort to preserve African languages and knowledge is necessary if the extinction of African languages and knowledge is to be avoided....

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Jerry Phele hopes new role will finally erase Mofokeng

Sowetan Live 20 Jul 2018

Jerry Phele occupies an exalted place in the firmament of stardom in South African television....

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Can’t Miss Dance Events at The Peace Center

Biltmore Beacon 20 Jul 2018

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics and neoclassical works by George Balanchine and resident choreographer Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture....

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Part 2: The decision to leave

Jewish Herald-Voice 19 Jul 2018

The decision to leave The student protest was ostensibly about language. On the morning of June 16, 1976, thousands of South African black junior high school students in Soweto began a march to protest a new law that required their schools to use and teach the Afrikaans language instead of English.� Conflict began almost immediately, as police attempted to disperse the marchers by firing teargas into the crowd ... SOUTH AFRICAN....

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As Military Ties Deepen, China Advances its Ambitions in Africa

Gareowe Online 19 Jul 2018

Earlier this month, China’s Ministry of National Defense hosted senior military personnel from 50 African countries and the African Union for the first-ever China-Africa Defense and Security Forum ... Confucius Institutes across the continent teach Chinese language and culture, and government scholarships bring thousands of African students to China to study....

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A chat with Contemporary American Theater Festival 'Berta, Berta' playwright Angelica Chéri

Herald Mail 19 Jul 2018

“Because of his ‘Pittsburgh Cycle’ and he canonizes the African American experience, his use of language to tell stories — those things just resonate very deeply with me,” she said ... “And then, specifically the going back to this starting with an African American man, and starting ... If it’s very language focused and language driven, I feel it’s a play....

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Favoured by the Orisa

This Day 18 Jul 2018

He was also the first in his family to seek Western education, and found truly impressive success in that area, first by studying History at the University of Ibadan, and eventually traveling to Northwestern University in the US for a Master’s in Linguistics and becoming the first PhD in African Languages and Literature granted by the University of Lagos....

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Our Opinion: United States' stance on breast-milk resolution was a bad formula

News & Record 18 Jul 2018

The New York Times reported that American officials wanted language that called for governments to “protect, promote and support breast-feeding” to be removed, along with other verbiage about the potential issues with some food products for young children ... So did several other countries — many of them developing African nations — that were approached about sponsoring the language....

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CITIZEN COLUMNIST: Words, songs, and symbols of positive influence

SCNOW Morning News 18 Jul 2018

Words, songs and symbols can have a negative, positive or indifferent effect upon individuals and groups of people ... The cries that we see and hear are a part of a universal language that needs no translation. We do not cry in English, Spanish or any other language. We just cry! Likewise, on happy occasions such as weddings and victorious occasions, we do not laugh in German, French or any of the Asian or African languages ... Allie E ... .......

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SA's confidence in the ANC on the rise, says Ramaphosa

Independent online (SA) 17 Jul 2018

Johannesburg - A latest Ipsos poll placed confidence in the ANC amongst South Africans at 60%, and President Cyril Ramaphosa says this shows a shift in how people view the party ... “South Africans are indicating the level of confidence and trust in the ANC and of us this is humbling ... “Corruption is one of the key issues concerning South Africans ... The Ipsos results polled 3738 South Africans in their chosen languages....

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Education Ministry To Investigate ‘Poor’ 2018 WASSCE Results For Maths, English

Peace FM Online 17 Jul 2018

The spokesperson for the Ministry, Vincent Asafuah, said Tuesday the investigation will seek to find out why the 2018 results for Mathematics and English Language were poor compared last year's ... The 2018 results released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) show that candidates who obtained grades A1 to C6 in the three core subjects (Core Mathematics, English Language and Integrated Science) are as follows....

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