10 Most spoken Languages With a total population of 1.111
billion people, Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent.
As a result, it is not surprising that the total number of languages spoken
in Africa is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,100, with some counting "over 3,000."
Afro-Asiatic languages cover Northern Africa, Central Sahara, and the Horn of Africa,
Nilo-Saharian languages cover Central and Eastern Africa, Niger-Congo languages cover Central,
Southern, and , and Khoisan languages cover the western part of Southern Africa.
Africa has a diverse culture. Despite the fact that all languages are important and beautiful,
their popularity varies. There are ten languages that are more widely spoken
on the continent than the other languages, tribes, and groups. Stay with us to find
out. Please take a few seconds to subscribe to Africa Reloaded as we move ride along.
10. Amharic This is Africa's seventh most
widely spoken language. After Arabic, it is the continent's second most spoken Semitic language.
It is the official language of Ethiopia, with over 25 million native speakers,
and is spoken by approximately 3 million emigrants. Amharic is one of the few African
languages that has its own alphabet, whereas most others use Arabic or Latin letters. The
Amharic language is also linked to the Rastafarian movement, which is popular in the Caribbean. Many
Rastafarians learn Amharic as a second language because they regard it as a sacred language.
9. Zulu The Zulus are considered
one of South Africa's oldest ethnic groups. The Zulus were originally nomadic people who roamed
the territory that would become known as the Zulu Kingdom. Their migration was caused by the
rise of the Xhosa people, the area's original inhabitants. The Xhosa also brought with them
their own traditional culture to the Zulus. Zulu is the Zulu people's most widely spoken language
and is very similar to their native tongue. This language is spoken by over 28 million people,
the majority of whom are from Lesotho, Malawi, Botswana, and Mozambique.
8. Oromo. Over 30 million people in the
Horn of Africa speak Oromo, primarily in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Egypt. The Oromo people make
up more than 40% of Ethiopia's population and are the country's largest ethnic group.
Under the Mengistu regime, writing the language was prohibited between 1974 and 1991, though
limited use of the Ge'ez script was permitted. The Latin alphabet was adopted after 1991. It belongs
to the Afroasiatic language family's Cushitic branch. To greet someone in Oromo, say "Akkam."
7. Igbo This is the language of the
Igbo people of Nigeria, one of Africa's largest ethnic groups. However, it has only official
recognition in Equatorial Guinea, where it is recognized as a regional language.
Cameroon also speaks it. It is spoken by about 27 million people. The language has over 20 dialects,
the most common of which is Central Igbo. Because English is the primary literary language taught
in Nigerian schools, most Igbo speakers are said to be bilingual. Chinua Achebe, author of "Things
Fall Apart" and whose majority of books were written in IGBO, helped popularize the language.
6. Yoruba Yoruba
is a major language in Nigeria and is also spoken in other West African countries.
Other West African countries with significant Yoruba populations include Ghana, Togo,
Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It is a tonal language with three tones
that is written in the Pan-Nigerian alphabet, a variant of the Latin alphabet.
It is spoken as a first or second language by approximately 39 million people.
5. Hausa The Hausa language is the fifth most
spoken language on the African continent. It is classified as a member of the Chadic branch of the
Afro-Asian language family. In Africa, the Hausa language is spoken by over 63 million people.
The majority of Hausa speakers live in Northern Nigeria and the Republic of Niger in the south.
The language is also widely spoken in Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Ghana, Togo, and Chad. The language evolved from a dialect spoken in Kano, Nigeria,
where the majority of Hausa speakers live. Furthermore, because of its extensive literature,
it is one of the few African languages taught in international universities. In Nigeria, Hausa is
the most widely spoken first language. 4. Swahili
Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is the continent's fourth most widely spoken language.
This is a Bantu language spoken by the Swahili people of East Africa as their first language.
There are more than 100 million Swahili speakers in Africa, but only about 15 million speak it
as their first language. Tanzania, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo all have
Kiswahili as their national language (DRC). The Swahili language originated along Kenya's and
Tanzania's coasts. A large portion of Swahili vocabulary is derived from the Arabic language.
Many African countries recognize and speak the language, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar,
Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi,
Somalia, and the Comoro Islands. 3. French
French is a European language that was brought to Africa as a result of colonization.
Around 115 million Africans speak the language as a first or second language. The language,
which originated in France, is primarily spoken in former French colonies in West and Central Africa.
In Africa, French is frequently spoken alongside indigenous languages, but in some areas,
such as Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and Libreville, Gabon, it has become a first language.
Togo, Senegal, Seychelles, Rwanda, Reunion, Niger, Mali, Madagascar,
Guinea, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Cameroun, Congo, DRC, Algeria, Chad,
Burkina Faso, Benin, and Burundi are among the African countries that speak French.
2. Arabic Based on the number of people who speak
the language, Arabic is the second most widely spoken language in Africa. However, the language
is primarily spoken in North Africa and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that more than
150 million people in Africa speak Arabic as their first language, making it the most widely spoken
language on the continent. Arabic is available in a variety of flavors. Colloquial dialects and
Modern Standard Arabic Modern Standard Arabic is a more formal form of Arabic that is used
in news articles, novels, newscasts, and some TV shows. Native speakers, on the other hand,
do not always learn this form of Arabic. 1. English
The most widely spoken language on the continent is English. Only about 6.5 million Africans speak
English as their first language, but when second language learners are included, the number of
English speakers rises to around 130 million. The language, which originated in England in the
United Kingdom, was introduced to Africa during the British colonization of Africa. Many former
British colonies have made English their official language of government, business, and education.
Despite the fact that they are not former British colonies, many other countries have plans in place
to adopt English. Rwanda, for example, a former French colony, is rapidly encouraging its citizens
to learn and speak English as the country integrates. Rwanda, a former French colony,
is encouraging its citizens to learn and speak English as the country integrates itself into
the East African community. Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius,
Namibia, Nigeria, St. Helena, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania,
Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all speak English. Many languages are spoken in Africa,
and the countries with the most languages have the most diverse cultures and histories.
While English remains the most widely spoken language, many other languages, such as Swahili,
Arabic, and Portuguese, are becoming more common. What are your thoughts on our image of Africa's
ten most spoken languages? Make a comment about it. Please like and subscribe to the channel.