By Sarah-Claire Jordan
Being the second-largest continent on Earth in terms of land and population, Africa is already quite impressive. It consists of 54 different countries, all of them unique and adding a bit of diversity to the continent as a whole. Given that it is located next to the Middle East and Central Asia as well as Europe, it’s easy to see how those areas have influenced each other over the years. A handful of countries in North Africa were once French colonies, and so have French as an official language still. Other countries that are close to some Middle Eastern countries where Arabic is spoken also share the language and a few are even predominantly Muslim countries.
Despite European and Central Asian influence, there are still many languages native to Africa that are commonly spoken today. Here are ten of the most common native African languages still spoken today.
1. Amharic
Amharic is the national and official language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It is in the Semitic language family, along with Arabic and Hebrew. Within the Semitic language family, Amharic comes in at second place for having the most speakers, after Arabic. Amharic has its own writing system known as abugida. There are a few different dialects of Amharic, but they are all very mutually intelligible. In terms of literature, there has been an increase in works written in Amharic since the beginning of the 20th century, with one of the first novels written in Amharic published in 1909.
2. Swahili
Also called Kiswahili, Swahili is spoken by around 150 million people all over the world. It is a Bantu language that can be found in the African Great Lakes region and also Southeast Africa and is native to over 12 different African countries. In the areas where it is spoken, it’s used as a lingua franca for communication between countries and regions. Much of Swahili vocabulary comes from Arabic words, since there is a lot of contact between Arabic-speaking communities and coastal African countries where Swahili is spoken. Through contact via trade with other countries, some Portuguese, Spanish, English, and even Hindustani words have made their way into Swahili vocabulary as well, but not to the same extent as Arabic.
3. Zulu
Another language from the Bantu language family is Zulu, or isiZulu. It is one of the most common Bantu languages and is native to South Africa. 24% of the population of South Africa speak Zulu, and half of the population understands the language at least. It is written using the Latin alphabet. It has many click sounds in it, like many other languages native to southern Africa. The Zulu people who speak the language have inhabited South Africa for centuries, and so one could say that Zulu is one of the oldest languages still spoken in South Africa. Many consider Zulu to be mutually intelligible with Xhosa, another Bantu language native to South Africa that uses click sounds.
4. Igbo
Along with Hausa, Yoruba, and English, Igbo is one of the national languages of Nigeria. It is native to the country as well, being the language of one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Igbo. The Igbo people originate from the southeastern region of Nigeria, and most Igbo speakers today are of Igbo descent. Thanks to British colonization, Igbo is generally written using Latin script, though a writing system was developed for one dialect of Igbo in the 1950s.
Due to the slave trade, Igbo traveled to the Americas and was used in different creole languages developed by slaves and their descendents, such as Jamaican Patois.
5. Yoruba
Another national language native to Nigeria is Yoruba, which also has a corresponding ethnic group that speaks it. It is spoken in both Nigeria and Benin, but can be found in other parts of Africa as well as in the Americas and Europe. Today, an estimated 40 million people speak Yoruba as a first or second language in Nigeria. Some Yoruba words are originally from Arabic, which is common with many African languages. One particular dialect of Yoruba is used as the religious language of the Santería religion and is called Lucumi.
6. Hausa
Continuing with languages originally found in Nigeria and other areas, Hausa, a Chadic language, is one of the four most common languages spoken in Nigeria, along with Yoruba, Igbo, and English. Native speakers can also be found in Chad and Niger and are typically part of the Hausa ethnic group as well. It is spoken as a trade language in many other African countries as well, mostly in West Africa, like Ghana and Togo, but also in some Central African countries. Many universities across Africa offer courses in Hausa, and it is the most common language spoken in Nigeria. It is unique to the languages of Nigeria, however, in that it is spoken in many other areas outside of the country, whereas Yoruba and Igbo aren’t as popular outside of Nigeria.
7. Oromo
Oromo is interesting because it is considered a dialect continuum rather than a language that has some dialects. This means that some of the dialects of Oromo are not mutually intelligible. Oromo itself is a language in the Afroasiatic language family and belongs to the Cushitic branch of the family. It is spoken in Kenya and parts of Ethiopia, but most Oromo speakers live in Ethiopia. Oromo can be divided into five different types, but some linguists divide it into just four groups. Before 1974 in Ethiopia, it was difficult to find radio broadcasts and other media in Oromo, but now it is much more common. It still isn’t taught in schools except for areas where the Oromo Liberation Front, an organization that promotes the Oromo language and people, is in control.
8. Dholuo
Dholuo, also known as Luo, is a language spoken by the Luo people in Tanzania and Kenya, which adds up to about 6 million people. Those who speak it are found mostly around the area of Lake Victoria in Kenya, though of course it is spoken in some other areas too. There are many newspapers and radio broadcasts that use Dholuo, and it has a great online presence as well. Acholi and Lango are two other languages that are mutually intelligible with Dholuo. It didn’t become a written language until 1907 when a Seventh-day Adventist helped the Luo people to create a writing system that is a modified Roman alphabet. Barack Obama’s father grew up speaking Dholuo, as his family was ethnically Luo.
9. Xhosa
As one of the many official languages of the nation of South Africa, Xhosa is spoken by about 7.6 million people in South Africa. It is a Bantu tonal language, meaning that falling or rising intonation can change the meaning of the same set of sounds. It also includes click consonants, just like the x in the word Xhosa. The Latin alphabet is the writing system used, though some modifications have been made to indicate different kinds of clicks. There is no way to indicate tonality in the written form of Xhosa. It is the second most common language in South Africa and is also spoken in Zimbabwe. Xhosa is in the same language family as Zulu and many other languages spoken all over the African continent. There are several dialects of Xhosa, and modern Xhosa has been known to borrow from English and Afrikaans.
10. Fulani
Sometimes called Fula as well as many other names, the Fulani language is native to West Africa but is also spoken in Central Africa. It can be found in a total of 20 different African countries and is part of the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Fula people who speak Fulani or Fula call their own language Pulaar, Pular, and sometimes Fulfulde. Though it is generally thought of as a single language, it has many different varieties spoken in different regions. In order for all speakers of the Fula language to understand it, the Bible had to be translated into nine different varieties of Fulani, which shows that not all varieties are mutually intelligible. It is an official language in Nigeria and Senegal and is considered a regional language in Guinea. Fulani has about 25 different noun classes, some of which are very specific.
It is important to see the diversity that can be found in the African continent. Far too often, we refer to it as if it were one homogenous area, talking about the people and cultures of Africa as if they all belonged to one country with only one culture. The geographic location of Africa, under Europe and next to Central Asia and the Middle East, means that the languages and cultures of those areas have influenced nearby African countries. However, Africa itself has an extremely diverse and rich mix of cultures that prospered long before colonization by European powers. This can be seen in the number of native languages found throughout Africa, most with a corresponding ethnic group. These languages have survived and even flourished despite the influence of European control in many areas. This in and of itself is a testament to the power of the African continent.
For an overview of our translation expertise, visit our telephone interpreting service page