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Languages of Africa#Demographics 2

{{Short description|none}}

{{For|the 1963 book|The Languages of Africa}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2025}}[[File:Map of African language families.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|A rough overview of language families spoken in Africa:

{{legend|#D8CC6B|Afroasiatic }}

{{legend|#35256E|Nilo-Saharan (possibly a family)}}

{{legend|#A33929|Niger–Congo (some areas may not belong)}}

{{space|4}}{{Legend inline|#C05545|Bantu}}

{{legend|#2FA7E8|Khoisan (not a family)}}

{{legend|#7DE647|Indo-European}}

{{legend|#FBFF36|Austronesian}}

]]

The number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated (depending on the delineation of language vs. dialect) at between 1,250 and 2,100,{{harvcoltxt|Heine|Nurse|2000}} and by some counts at over 3,000.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkkrDH27jmIC&pg=PR9 |title=The Language of African Literature |publisher=Africa World Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-86543-534-0 |editor-last=Epstein |editor-first=Edmund L. |page=ix |quote=Africa is incredibly rich in language—over 3,000 indigenous languages by some counts, and many creoles, pidgins, and lingua francas. |access-date=2011-06-23 |editor2-last=Kole |editor2-first=Robert}} Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to SIL Ethnologue),{{cite web |title=Ethnologue report for Nigeria |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=nigeria |work=Ethnologue Languages of the World}} one of the greatest concentrations of linguistic diversity in the world. The languages of Africa belong to many distinct language families, among which the largest are:

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

Around a hundred languages are widely used for interethnic communication. These include Arabic, Swahili, Amharic, Oromo, Igbo, Somali, Hausa, Manding, Fulani and Yoruba, which are spoken as a second (or non-first) language by millions of people. Although many African languages are used on the radio, in newspapers and in primary-school education, and some of the larger ones are considered national languages, only a few are official at the national level. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most official languages at the national level tend to be colonial languages such as French, Portuguese, or English.{{Cite web |last=Oluwole |first=Victor |date=2021-09-12 |title=A comprehensive list of all the English-speaking countries in Africa |url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/a-comprehensive-list-of-all-the-english-speaking-countries-in-africa/hdp1610 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Business Insider Africa |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Stein-Smith |first=Kathleen |date=2022-03-17 |title=Africa and the French language are growing together in global importance |url=http://theconversation.com/africa-and-the-french-language-are-growing-together-in-global-importance-179224 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Yates |first=Y |title=How Many People Speak Portuguese, And Where Is It Spoken? |url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-portuguese-and-where-is-it-spoken |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Babbel Magazine |language=en}}

The African Union declared 2006 the "Year of African Languages".{{cite web |url=http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001850/index.php |title=African Union Summit 2006: Khartoum, Sudan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060530020735/http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001850/index.php |archive-date= 2006-05-30 |publisher=Southern African Regional Poverty Network}}

Language groups

File:Map of African languages.svg

Most languages natively spoken in Africa belong to one of the two large language families that dominate the continent: Afroasiatic, or Niger–Congo. Another hundred belong to smaller families such as Ubangian, Nilotic, Saharan, and the various families previously grouped under the umbrella term Khoisan. In addition, the languages of Africa include several unclassified languages and sign languages.

The earliest Afroasiatic languages are associated with the Capsian culture, the Saharan languages are linked with the Khartoum Mesolithic/Neolithic cultures. Niger-Congo languages are correlated with the west and central African hoe-based farming traditions and the Khoisan languages are matched with the south and southeastern Wilton culture.{{cite journal |journal=Language |volume=61 |issue=3–4 |year=1985 |publisher=Linguistic Society of America |page=695 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sG8KAQAAMAAJ|access-date=31 January 2017 |last=Bender |first=M. Lionel |title=Review of Ehred & Posnansky (eds.), The archaeological and linguistic reconstruction of African history|doi=10.2307/414395 |jstor=414395 }}

=Afroasiatic languages=

{{Main|Afroasiatic languages}}

Afroasiatic languages are spoken throughout North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia and parts of the Sahel. There are approximately 375 Afroasiatic languages spoken by over 400 million people. The main subfamilies of Afroasiatic are Berber, Chadic, Cushitic, Omotic, Egyptian and Semitic. The Afroasiatic Urheimat is uncertain. The family's most extensive branch, the Semitic languages (including Arabic, Amharic and Hebrew among others), is the only branch of Afroasiatic that is spoken outside Africa.{{cite book |first=Christopher |last=Ehret |chapter=Language and History |isbn=0-521-66629-5|page=290|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C7XhcYoFxaQC&pg=PA290|access-date=12 March 2018 |editor-last1=Heine |editor-first1=Bernd |editor-last2=Nurse |editor-first2=Derek |year=2000 |title=African Languages: An Introduction |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}

Some of the most widely spoken Afroasiatic languages include Arabic (a Semitic language, and a recent arrival from West Asia), Somali (Cushitic), Berber (Berber), Hausa (Chadic), Amharic (Semitic) and Oromo (Cushitic). 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.

=Nilo-Saharan languages=

{{Main|Nilo-Saharan languages}}

Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed grouping of some one hundred diverse languages. Genealogical linkage between these languages has failed to be conclusively demonstrated, and support for the proposal is sparse among linguists.{{cite book |first1=Lyle |last1=Campbell |first2=Mauricio J. |last2=Mixco |title=A Glossary of Historical Linguistics |year=2007 |publisher=University of Utah Press |isbn=9780874808926}}{{cite book |first=P.H. |last=Matthews |title=Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics |year=2014 |publisher=OUP Oxford |edition=3rd |isbn=9780199675128}} The languages share some unusual morphology, but if they are related, most of the branches must have undergone major restructuring since diverging from their common ancestor.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

This hypothetical family would reach an expanse 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. The inclusion of the Songhay languages is questionable, and doubts have been raised over the Koman, Gumuz and Kadu branches.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Some of the better known Nilo-Saharan languages are Kanuri, Fur, Songhay, Nobiin and the widespread Nilotic family, which includes the Luo, Dinka and Maasai. Most Nilo-Saharan languages are tonal, as are Niger-Congo languages.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

=Niger–Congo languages=

{{Main|Niger–Congo languages}}

[[File:Africa ethnic groups 1996.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Map showing the traditional language families represented in Africa:

{{legend|#E6EAAD|Afroasiatic (Semitic-Hamitic)}}

{{legend|#8E7D8F|Austronesian (Malay-Polynesian)}}

{{legend|#8A421A|Indo-European}}

{{legend|#DC782D|Khoisan}}

Niger-Congo:

{{legend|#A6BE50|Bantu}}

{{legend|#E9A96C|Central and Eastern Sudanese}}

{{legend|#51384E|Central Bantoid}}

{{legend|#C96273|Eastern Bantoid}}

{{legend|#A7BC47|Guinean}}

{{legend|#B77B85|Mande}}

{{legend|#4D7830|Western Bantoid}}

Nilo-Saharan:

{{legend|#827241|Kanuri}}

{{legend|#824240|Nilotic}}

{{legend|#C88C50|Songhai}}]]

The Niger–Congo languages constitute the largest language family spoken in West Africa and perhaps the world in terms of the number of languages.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} 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 phylum, which has a wider speech area than the rest of the family (see Niger–Congo B (Bantu) in the map above).

The Niger–Kordofanian language family, joining Niger–Congo with the Kordofanian languages of south-central Sudan, was proposed in the 1950s by Joseph Greenberg. Today, linguists often use "Niger–Congo" to refer to this entire family, including Kordofanian as a subfamily. One reason for this is that it is not clear whether Kordofanian was the first branch to diverge from rest of Niger–Congo. Mande has been claimed to be equally or more divergent. 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.

=Other language families=

Several languages spoken in Africa belong to language families concentrated or originating outside the African continent.

==Austronesian==

Malagasy belongs to the Austronesian languages and is the westernmost branch of the family. It is the national and co-official language of Madagascar, and a Malagasy dialect called Bushi is also spoken in Mayotte.

The ancestors of the Malagasy people migrated to Madagascar around 1,500 years ago from Southeast Asia, more specifically the island of Borneo. The origins of how they arrived to Madagascar remains a mystery, however the Austronesians are known for their seafaring culture. Despite the geographical isolation, Malagasy still has strong resemblance to Barito languages especially the Ma'anyan language of southern Borneo.

With more than 20 million speakers, Malagasy is one of the most widely spoken of the Austronesian languages.

==Indo-European==

Afrikaans is Indo-European, as is most of the vocabulary of most African creole languages. Afrikaans evolved from the Dutch vernacular{{cite book |isbn=9781433105012 |first1=Kathleen |last1=Pithouse |first2=Claudia |last2=Mitchell |first3=Relebohile |last3=Moletsane |title=Making Connections: Self-Study & Social Action |date=16 December 2023 |page=91|publisher=Peter Lang }}{{cite book |title=Die herkoms van die Afrikaner, 1657–1867 |publisher=A. A. Balkema |location=Cape Town |year=1971 |language=af |oclc=1821706 |ol=5361614M |first=J. A. |last=Heese |trans-title=The origin of the Afrikaner, 1657–1867}} of South Holland (Hollandic dialect){{cite book |url=http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/kloe004herk01_01/kloe004herk01_01.pdf |title=Herkomst en groei van het Afrikaans |first=G.G. |last=Kloeke |year=1950 |location=Leiden |publisher=Universitaire Pers Leiden}}{{cite CiteSeerX |citeseerx=10.1.1.222.5044 |title=The origin of Afrikaans pronunciation: a comparison to west Germanic languages and Dutch dialects |first1=Wilbert |last1=Heeringa |first2=Febe |last2=de Wet |date=2007}} spoken by the mainly Dutch settlers of what is now South Africa, where it gradually began to develop distinguishing characteristics in the course of the 18th century, including the loss of verbal conjugation (save for 5 modal verbs), as well as grammatical case and gender.{{Cite book |url=http://www.dbnl.org/arch/coet003stan01_01/pag/coet003stan01_01.pdf |title=Standaard Afrikaans |first=Abel |last=Coetzee |publisher=Afrikaner Pers|year=1948 |access-date=2014-09-17}} Most Afrikaans speakers live in South Africa. In Namibia it is the lingua franca. Overall 14 to 21 million people are estimated to speak Afrikaans.

Since the colonial era, Indo-European languages such as Afrikaans, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish have held official status in many countries, and are widely spoken, generally as lingua francas. (See African French and African Portuguese.) Additionally, languages like French, and Portuguese have become native languages in various countries.

French has become native in the urban areas of the DRC,{{Cite web |last=Tibategeza |first=Eustard |date=January 2023 |title=Language-in-Education Policy and Practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367235628}} and Gabon.{{Cite web |last=Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza |first=Hugues Steve Ndinga-Koumba-Binza |date=August 2011 |title=From foreign to national: a review of the status of French in Gabon |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267327159}}

German was once used in Germany's colonies there from the late 1800s until World War I, when Britain and France took over and revoked German's official status. Despite this, German is still spoken in Namibia, mostly among the white population. Although it lost its official status in the 1990s, it has been redesignated as a national language. Indian languages such as Gujarati are spoken by South Asian expatriates exclusively. In earlier historical times, other Indo-European languages could be found in various parts of the continent, such as Old Persian and Greek in Egypt, Latin and Vandalic in North Africa and Modern Persian in the Horn of Africa.

==Small families==

The three small Khoisan families of southern Africa have not been shown to be closely related to any other major language family. In addition, there are various other families that have not been demonstrated to belong to one of these families. The classifications below follow Glottolog.

  • Mande, some 70 languages, including the major languages of Mali and Guinea; these are generally thought to be divergent Niger–Congo, but debate persists
  • Ubangian, some 70 languages, centered on the languages of the Central African Republic; may be Niger–Congo
  • Te-Ne-Omotic, some 20 languages, previously classified under Afro-Asiatic, spoken in Ethiopia
  • Khoe-Kwadi, around 10 languages, the primary family of Khoisan languages of Namibia and Botswana
  • Surmic, some 11 languages, previously classified within either Sudanic or Nilo-Saharan
  • Kx'a, around five languages, with various dialects, spoken in Southern Africa
  • South Omotic, around five languages; previously classified within Afro-Asiatic, spoken in Ethiopia
  • Tuu, or Taa-ǃKwi, two surviving languages
  • Hadza, an isolate of Tanzania
  • Bangime, a likely isolate of Mali
  • Jalaa, a likely isolate of Nigeria
  • Sandawe, an isolate of Tanzania
  • Laal, a possible isolate of Chad

Khoisan is a term of convenience covering some 30 languages spoken by around 300,000–400,000 people. 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. A striking feature of Khoisan languages, and the reason they are often grouped together, is their use of click consonants. Some neighbouring Bantu languages (notably Xhosa and Zulu) have clicks as well, but these were adopted from Khoisan languages. The Khoisan languages are also tonal.

==Creole languages==

Due partly to its multilingualism and its colonial past, a substantial proportion of the world's creole languages are to be found in Africa. Some are based on Indo-European languages (e.g. Krio from English in Sierra Leone and the very similar Pidgin in Nigeria, Ghana and parts of Cameroon; Cape Verdean Creole in Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau Creole in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, all from Portuguese; Seychellois Creole in the Seychelles and Mauritian Creole in Mauritius, both from French); some are based on Arabic (e.g. Juba Arabic in the southern Sudan, or Nubi in parts of Uganda and Kenya); some are based on local languages (e.g. 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.

==Unclassified languages==

{{further|:Category:Unclassified languages of Africa}}

A fair number of unclassified languages are reported in Africa. 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.

Less-well investigated languages include Irimba, Luo, Mawa, Rer Bare (possibly Bantu languages), Bete (evidently Jukunoid), Bung (unclear), Kujarge (evidently Chadic), Lufu (Jukunoid), Meroitic (possibly Afroasiatic), Oropom (possibly spurious) and Weyto (evidently Cushitic). Several of these are extinct, and adequate comparative data is thus unlikely to be forthcoming. Hombert & Philippson (2009){{cite book |first1=Jean-Marie |last1=Hombert |first2=Gérard |last2=Philippson |year=2009 |url=http://www.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/fulltext/hombert/Hombert_2009_LDLT2.pdf |chapter=The linguistic importance of language isolates: the African case |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523092814/http://www.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/fulltext/hombert/Hombert_2009_LDLT2.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2013 |editor-first1=Peter K. |editor-last1=Austin |editor-first2=Oliver |editor-last2=Bond |editor-first3=Monik |editor-last3=Charette |editor-link3=Monik Charette |editor-first4=David |editor-last4=Nathan |editor-first5=Peter |editor-last5=Sells |title=Proceedings of Conference on Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory 2 |location=London |publisher=SOAS}} list a number of African languages that have been classified as language isolates at one point or another. Many of these are simply unclassified, but Hombert & Philippson believe Africa has about twenty language families, including isolates. 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):{{cite book |editor-last1=Vossen |editor-first1=Rainer |editor-last2=Dimmendaal |editor-first2=Gerrit J. |year=2020 |title=The Oxford Handbook of African Languages |pages=392–407 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press.}}

class="wikitable sortable"
LanguageCountry
Bangi MeMali
BayotSenegal
DompoGhana
EgaIvory Coast
GombaEthiopia
GumuzEthiopia, Sudan
HadzaTanzania
IrimbaGabon
JalaaNigeria
KujargeChad
LaalChad
LufuNigeria
LuoCameroon
MawaNigeria
MeyobeBenin, Togo
Mimi of Decorse; Mimi of NachtigalChad
MpraGhana
ObloCameroon
OngotaEthiopia
OropomKenya, Uganda
Rer BareEthiopia
ShaboEthiopia
WeytoEthiopia
WutanaNigeria
YeniCameroon

==Sign languages==

{{See also|List of sign languages#Africa}}

Many African countries have national sign languages, such as Algerian Sign Language, Tunisian Sign Language, Ethiopian Sign Language. Other sign languages are restricted to small areas or single villages, such as Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana. Tanzania has seven, one for each of its schools for the Deaf, all of which are discouraged. Not much is known, since little has been published on these languages

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.

Language in Africa

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. A case in point is the Bantu expansion, in which Bantu-speaking peoples expanded over most of Sub-Equatorial Africa, intermingling with Khoi-San speaking peoples from much of Southeast Africa and Southern Africa and other peoples from Central Africa. Another example is the Arab expansion in the 7th century, which led to the extension of Arabic from its homeland in Asia, into much of North Africa and the Horn of Africa.

Trade languages are another age-old phenomenon in the African linguistic landscape. Cultural and linguistic innovations spread along trade routes and languages of peoples dominant in trade developed into languages of wider communication (lingua franca). 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).

After gaining independence, many African countries, in the search for national unity, selected one language, generally the former Indo-European colonial language, to be used in government and education. However, in recent years, African countries have become increasingly supportive of maintaining linguistic diversity. Language policies that are being developed nowadays are mostly aimed at multilingualism. This presents a methodological complication when collecting data in Africa and limited literature exists. An analysis of Afrobarometer public opinion survey data of 36 countries suggested that survey interviewers and respondents could engage in various linguistic behaviors, such as code-switching during the survey.{{Cite book |last=Lau |first=Charles |url=https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/language-survey-research |chapter=Language differences between interviewers and respondents in African surveys (Chapter 5) |title=The Essential Role of Language in Survey Research |date=2020-04-30 |publisher=RTI Press |isbn=978-1-934831-24-3 |editor-last=Sha |editor-first=Mandy |pages=101–115 |doi=10.3768/rtipress.bk.0023.2004 |doi-access=free}} Moreover, some African countries have been considering removing their official former Indo-European colonial languages, like Mali and Burkina Faso which removed French as an official language in 2024.{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date= 26 July 2023|title=Mali drops French as official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/26/mali-drops-french-as-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=2023-12-07 |title=Burkina abandons French as an official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/07/burkina-abandons-french-as-an-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}

=Official languages=

{{see also|Languages of the African Union}}

[[File:Official languages in Africa.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Official languages in Africa:

cellpadding="0"
{{legend|#FF8C00|Afrikaans}}{{legend|#8EB423|Portuguese}}
{{legend|#19822D|Arabic}}{{legend|#DAC716|Spanish}}
{{legend|#C35A91|English}}{{legend|#55433B|Swahili}}
{{legend|#415096|French}}{{legend|#000000|other African languages}}
]]

;Afroasiatic

  • Berber (Amazigh):
  • Standard Moroccan Amazigh in Morocco
  • Standard Algerian Berber in Algeria{{cite news |title=Algeria reinstates term limit and recognises Berber language |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35515769 |work=BBC News}}
  • Tamasheq in Mali{{cite web |author= |date=29 September 2017 |title=JOURNAL OFFICIEL DE LA REPUBLIQUE DU MALI |url=https://sgg-mali.ml/JO/2017/mali-jo-2017-39.pdf |access-date=26 July 2023 |website=sgg-mali.ml |quote=Langues nationales : langues considérées comme propres à une nation ou à un pays. Selon la Loi n°96- 049 du 23 août 1996, les langues nationales du Mali sont : le bamanankan (bambara), le bomu (bobo), le bozo (bozo), le dTgTsT (dogon), le fulfulde (peul), le hasanya (maure), le mamara (miniyanka), le maninkakan (malinké) le soninke (sarakolé), le soKoy (songhoï), le syenara (sénoufo), le tamasayt (tamasheq), le xaasongaxanKo (khassonké).}}
  • Tawellemet in Mali
  • Chadic:
  • Hausa in Niger
  • Cushitic:
  • Afar in Ethiopia
  • Oromo in Ethiopia and Kenya
  • Somali in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti
  • Semitic:
  • Amharic in Ethiopia
  • Arabic in Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania,[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mauritania/ CIA – The World Factbook]. Morocco, Somalia,According to article 7 of [http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/countries/docs/charterfeb04.pdf The Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218004011/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/countries/docs/charterfeb04.pdf|date=18 December 2008}}: "The official languages of the Somali Republic shall be Somali (Maay and Maxaatiri) and Arabic. The second languages of the Transitional Federal Government shall be English and Italian". Sudan, Tunisia and Zanzibar (Tanzania)
  • Hassaniya Arabic in Mali
  • Tigrinya in Ethiopia and Eritrea

;Austronesian

;Ngbandi creole

;French Creole

;Indo-European

;Niger-Congo

;Nilo-Saharan

class="wikitable"
Language

!Family

!Official status per country

Afar

| rowspan="8" |Afroasiatic

|Ethiopia, Djibouti (national)

Amharic

|Ethiopia

Arabic

|Algeria, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan

Berber

|Algeria, Morocco

Hausa

|Niger, Nigeria (national)

Oromo

|Ethiopia{{cite web |title=ETHIOPIA TO ADD 4 MORE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES TO FOSTER UNITY |url=http://venturesafrica.com/ethiopia-to-add-4-more-official-languages-to-foster-unity/ |website=Ventures Africa |date=4 March 2020 |publisher=Ventures |access-date=2 February 2021}}{{cite web |title=Ethiopia is adding four more official languages to Amharic as political instability mounts |url=https://www.nazret.com/2020/03/07/ethiopia-is-adding-four-more-official-languages-to-amharic-as-political-instability-mounts/ |website=Nazret |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=17 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817225007/https://www.nazret.com/2020/03/07/ethiopia-is-adding-four-more-official-languages-to-amharic-as-political-instability-mounts/ }}{{cite news |last1=Shaban |first1=Abdurahman |title=One to five: Ethiopia gets four new federal working languages |url=https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// |agency=Africa News |access-date=10 February 2021 |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215231030/https://www.africanews.com/2020/03/04/one-to-five-ethiopia-gets-four-new-federal-working-languages// }}

Somali

|Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti (national)

Tigrinya

|Ethiopia, Eritrea (national)

Malagasy

|Austronesian

|Madagascar

Seychelles Creole

|French Creole

|Seychelles

Afrikaans

|Indo-European

|South Africa

Sango

|Ngbandi creole

|Central African Republic

Chewa

| rowspan="17" |Niger-Congo

|Malawi, Zimbabwe

Comorian

|Comoros

Kikongo

|Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo

Kinyarwanda

|Rwanda

Kirundi

|Burundi

Ndebele

|South Africa

Sepedi

|South Africa

Sesotho

|Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Setswana

|Botswana, South Africa

Shona

|Zimbabwe

Sindebele

|Zimbabwe

Swahili

|Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

Swati

|Eswatini, South Africa

Tsonga

|Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa

Venda

|South Africa, Zimbabwe

Xhosa

|South Africa

Zulu

|South Africa

=Cross-border languages=

The colonial borders established by European powers following the Berlin Conference in 1884–1885 divided a great many ethnic groups and African language speaking communities. 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. 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).

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.[http://www.acalan.org/ African languages for Africa's development] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524135600/http://www.acalan.org/ |date=24 May 2006 }} ACALAN (French & English).

=Language change and planning=

Language is not static in Africa any more than on other continents.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} In addition to the (likely modest) impact of borders, there are also cases of dialect levelling (such as in Igbo and probably many others), koinés (such as N'Ko and possibly Runyakitara) and emergence of new dialects (such as Sheng). In some countries, there are official efforts to develop standardized language versions.

There are also many less widely spoken languages that may be considered endangered languages.

=Demographics=

{{Further|Demographics of Africa}}

Of the 1 billion Africans (in 2009), about 17 percent speak an Arabic dialect.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} About 10 percent speak Swahili,{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} the lingua franca of Southeast Africa; about 5 percent speak a Berber dialect;{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} and about 5 percent speak Hausa, which serves as a lingua franca in much of the Sahel. Other large West African languages are Yoruba, Igbo, Akan and Fula. Major Horn of Africa languages are Somali, Amharic and Oromo. Lingala is important in Central Africa. Important South African languages are Sotho, Tswana, Pedi, Venda, Tsonga, Swazi, Southern Ndebele, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans.{{cite news |newspaper=The Economist |title=Tongues under threat |date=22 January 2011 |page=58}}

French, English, and Portuguese are important languages in Africa due to colonialism. About 320 million,[https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf 327 millions de francophones dans le monde en 2023] odsef.fss.ulaval.ca (in French){{cite web | last=Verdeau | first=Paul | title=En 2023, 327 millions de personnes parlent français dans le monde, dont près de la moitié en Afrique | website=RTBF | date=20 March 2023 | url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/en-2023-429-millions-de-personnes-parlent-francais-dans-le-monde-dont-pres-de-la-moitie-en-afrique-11169856 | language=fr | access-date=27 November 2023}} 240 million and 35 million Africans, respectively, speak them as either native or secondary languages. Portuguese has become the national language of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, and Portuguese is the official language of Mozambique.

Linguistic features

Some linguistic features are particularly common among languages spoken in Africa, whereas others are less common. Such shared traits probably are not due to a common origin of all African languages. Instead, some may be due to language contact (resulting in borrowing) and specific idioms and phrases may be due to a similar cultural background.

=Phonological=

Some widespread phonetic features include:

  • certain types of consonants, such as implosives ({{IPA|/ɓa/}}), ejectives ({{IPA|/kʼa/}}), the labiodental flap and in southern Africa, clicks ({{IPA|/ǂa/}}, {{IPA|/ᵑǃa/}}). True implosives are rare outside Africa, and clicks and the flap almost unheard of.
  • doubly articulated labial-velar stops like {{IPA|/k͡pa/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ͡ba/}} are found in places south of the Sahara.
  • prenasalized consonants, like {{IPA|/mpa/}} and {{IPA|/ŋɡa/}}, are widespread in Africa but not common outside it.
  • sequences of stops and fricatives at the beginnings of words, such as {{IPA|/fsa/}}, {{IPA|/pta/}} and {{IPA|/dt͡sk͡xʼa/}}.
  • nasal stops which only occur with nasal vowels, such as {{IPA|[ba]}} vs. {{IPA|[mã]}} (but both {{IPA|[pa]}} and {{IPA|[pã]}}), especially in West Africa.
  • vowels contrasting an advanced or retracted tongue, commonly called "tense" and "lax".
  • simple tone systems which are used for grammatical purposes.

Sounds that are relatively uncommon in African languages include uvular consonants, diphthongs and front rounded vowels

Tonal languages are found throughout the world but are especially common in Africa - in fact, there are far more tonal than non-tonal languages in Africa. Both the Nilo-Saharan and the Khoi-San phyla are fully tonal. The large majority of the Niger–Congo languages are also tonal. Tonal languages are also found in the Omotic, Chadic and South & East Cushitic branches of Afroasiatic. The most common type of tonal system opposes two tone levels, High (H) and Low (L). Contour tones do occur, and can often be analysed as two or more tones in succession on a single syllable. 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. Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, downstep and downdrift are common in African languages.

=Syntactic=

Widespread syntactical structures include the common use of adjectival verbs and the expression of comparison by means of a verb 'to surpass'. The Niger–Congo languages have large numbers of genders (noun classes) which cause agreement in verbs and other words. Case, tense and other categories may be distinguished only by tone. 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.{{Cite journal|last=Anderson|first=Gregory D. S.|year=2011|title=Auxiliary verb constructions in the languages of Africa|journal=Studies in African Linguistics|volume=40 (1 & 2)|pages=1–409|doi=10.32473/sal.v40i1.107282|doi-access=free}}

=Semantic=

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.{{fact|date=February 2024}}

Demographics

The following is a table displaying the number of speakers of given languages within Africa:

class="wikitable sortable" style="width:99%;"
width=15%|Language

!width=15%|Family

! style="width:15%;" data-sort-type="number"|Native speakers (L1)

!width=30%|Official status per country

ǂKxʼaoǁʼae

|Kxʼa

|5,000 (2003)[https://books.google.com/books?id=sl_dDVctycgC&pg=RA1-PA363 International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: AAVE-Esperanto. Vol. 1]. Oxford University Press. 2003. p. 363. {{ISBN|978-0-19-513977-8}}

|Native to Namibia and Botswana

ǂʼAmkoe

|Kxʼa

|20–50 Western ǂʼAmkoe (2015)

unknown number Eastern ǂʼAmkoeGerlach (2015: 14–15)

|Native to Botswana

Abon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|800 (1990)

|Native to Cameroon

AbronNiger–Congo1,393,000 (2013)Abron at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast
Acheron

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|20,000 (2006)

9,800 in home area (2006)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/acz/ Acheron] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Adara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|300,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kad/ Adara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

AfarAfroasiatic2,500,000 (2019–2022)Afar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Official in Ethiopia

Recognised minority language in Djibouti and Eritrea,

Native to Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia

AfrikaansIndo-European7,200,000 (2011){{cite book |title=Census 2011: Census in brief |url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf |publisher=Statistics South Africa |location=Pretoria |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-621-41388-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513171240/http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf |archive-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=live}}National language in Namibia, co-official in South Africa
Aghem

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|27,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/agq/ Aghem] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Aiki

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|19,000 Kibet (1983)

43,000 Runga (1993–1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kie Kibet] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/rou Runga] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Chad and Central African Republic

Aja

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|200 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/aja/ Aja] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to South Sudan and Central African Republic

Aka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,000 (1986–1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/axk/ Aka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic and Republic of Congo

AkanNiger–Congo8,900,000 (2013)Akan at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Abron at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Wasa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

None. Government sponsored language of Ghana
Ambo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000 or fewer (undated)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/amb/ Ambo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Amdang

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|170,000 (2024)Amdang at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad and Sudan

Ambele

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ael Ambele] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

AmharicAfroasiatic35,000,000 (2020)Amharic at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Ethiopia
Amira

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,100 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/none Amira] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

Anaang

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,900,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/anw Anaang] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Áncá

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|300 Áncá (2006)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/acb/ Áncá (?)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Asoa

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|26,000 (2000)Asoa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Atsam

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/cch/ Atsam] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

ArabicAfroasiatic150,000,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ara|title=Arabic|website=Ethnologue}} but with separate mutually unintelligible varietiesAlgeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Tunisia
Aringa

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|495,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/luc Aringa] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Uganda

Avokaya

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|100,000 (1989–2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/avu Avokaya] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Awing

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|19,000 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/azo/ Awing] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Baba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbw/ Baba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Babanki

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|39,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbk/ Babanki] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Baca

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,500 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/baf/ Baca] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bacama

|Afroasiatic

|300,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bcy Bacama] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Bade

|Afroasiatic

|360,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bde Bade] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Baka

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|60,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bdh Baka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Barambu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|26,000 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/brm/ Barambu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bariba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,100,000 (1995–2021)Bariba at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Recognized in Benin

Native to Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo

Bala

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|60,000 Lobala (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/loq Lobala] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

21,000 Boko{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bkp Iboko] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Balo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,200 (2000)Balo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bamali

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,800 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbq/ Bamali] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bambara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,200,000 (2012){{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Bamanankan {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bam |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230309090451/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bam/ |archive-date=2023-03-09 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en-US |edition=27th}}

|Official in Mali

Bambassi

|Afroasiatic

|2,300 (2011)"Màwés Aasʼè". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-01

|Native to Ethiopia

Bambalang

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|29,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bmo/ Bambalang] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bamukumbit

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12,000 (2008)Bamukumbit at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bamum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|420,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bax/ Bamum] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Bamwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|20,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bmg/ Bamwe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bangala

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|A few{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_language/bxg Bangala] at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo

Bangi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|120,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bni/ Bangi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mow/ Moi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bangolan

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|14,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bgj/ Bangolan] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bassari

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|31,000 (2017)Basari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Guinea and Senegal

Baṭḥari

|Afroasiatic

|16 (2016)Bathari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Oman

Batu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}

|Native to Nigeria

Bebe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,600 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bzv/ Bebe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Beba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bfp/ Beba’] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Beli

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|65,000 (2009)

|Native to South Sudan

Bemba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,100,000 (2000–2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bem/ Bemba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Recognized minority in Zambia

Native to Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, andTanzania

Bembe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (2007)Bembe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of Congo

Bembe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|250,000 in DRC (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bmb/ Bembe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lgm/ Mwenga Lega] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo andTanzania

BerberAfroasiatic16,000,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/subgroups/berber|title=Berber|website=Ethnologue}} (estimated) (including separate mutually unintelligible varieties)Morocco, Algeria
Berta

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|380,000 (2006–2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/wti Berta] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan and Ethiopia

Besme

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,200 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bes/ Besme] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Bhaca

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to South Africa

BhojpuriIndo-European65,300 (2011){{cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bho|title=Bhojpuri|website=Ethnologue|access-date=2019-07-16}}Native to Mauritius
Bina

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|7,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/byj/ Bina] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Binza

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (1986)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/liz/ Binza] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Birri

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|200 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bvq Birri] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Central African Republic

Biseni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,800 (1977){{Cite news |year=2015 |title=Biseni |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ije/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190605002527/https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ije/ |archive-date=2019-06-05 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue |language=en |edition=18th}}

|Native to Nigeria

Bissa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|590,000 (1999–2003)Bissa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo

Bitare

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|52,000 (2000–2003)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/brt/ Bitare] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Bobo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|340,000 (1995–2021)Southern at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Northern at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Mali

Bole

|Afroasiatic

|250,000 (2023)Bole at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Nigeria

Bole

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,000 (2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bvx/ Bole] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of Congo

Bolon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|23,000 (1998)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bof/ Bolon] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Bomboli–Bozaba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1983–1986)[https://www.ethnologue.com/24/language/bml Bomboli] at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/24/language/bzo Bozaba] at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bomboma

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|23,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bws/ Bomboma] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bomitaba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|9,800 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/zmx/ Bomitaba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of Congo and Central African Republic

Bomu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|320,000-380,000 (1991-2022){{Cite news |year=2023 |title=Bomu {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bmq |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230309084118/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bmq/ |archive-date=2023-03-09 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en-US |edition=26th}}

|Native to Burkina Faso and Mali

Bongili

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12,000 (2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bui Bongili] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Republic of Congo

Bongo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|21,000 (2017)Bongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to South Sudan

Bonjo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/bok Bonjo] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

|Native to Republic of Congo

Bono

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,400,000 (2013)Abron at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast

Bono

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200,000 (2006)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/tan Tangale] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Boon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|60 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bnl/ Boon] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Somalia

Boko

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bqc/ Boko] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Benin, Nigeria

Boze

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Nigeria

Bozo

|Mande

|230,000 (apart from Tieyaxo) in Mali (2003–2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bzx/ Hainyaxo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/boo/ Tiemacèwè] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/boz/ Tiéyaxo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bze/ Jenaama] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Spoken in Mali

Bube

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|51,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bvb/ Bube] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbx/ Bubia (Wovea)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Recognized minority in Equatorial Guinea and Bioko Island

Native to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon

Budza

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|230,000 (1985)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bja/ Budza] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tmv/ Tembo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Buli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|170,000 (2013)Buli at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ghana

Bukusu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,400,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bxk/ Bukusu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Kenya

Bulu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|860,000 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bum/ Bulu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Bum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|21,000 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bmv/ Bum] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Buru–Angwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000 speakers of Buru; potentially substantially more of Angwe (uncited)[https://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_language/bqw Buru–Angwe] at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005)

|Native to Nigeria

Busa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|110,000 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bqp/ Busa] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bus/ Busa-Bokobaru] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Benin, Nigeria

Bushong

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|160,000 (2000)Bushong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Buu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100–200 (2012)Pierpaolo Di Carlo & Jeff Good (2012) [http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jcgood/DiCarloGood-LFIdeology.pdf What are we trying to preserve? Diversity, change, and ideology at the edge of the Cameroonian Grassfields]

|Native to Cameroon

Buyu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/byi/ Buyu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bwela

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,400 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bwl/ Bwela] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Caka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ckx/ Caka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Cape Verdean CreolePortuguese Creole871,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/kea/ Cape Verdean Creole] at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) National language in Cape Verde
Cebaara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|860,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sef/ Cebaara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ivory Coast

Central Banda

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|580,000 (1984–1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/liy/ Banda-Bambari] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bpd/ Banda-Banda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bqk/ Banda-Mbrès] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bfl/ Banda-Ndélé] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tor/ Togbo-Vara Banda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bjo/ Mid-Southern Banda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan

ChewaNiger–Congo (Probable)7,000,000 (2007)Mikael Parkvall, "Världens 100 största språk 2007" (The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007), in NationalencyklopedinMalawi, Zimbabwe
Chopi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,100,000 (2017)Chopi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Mozambique

Chung

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,400 (2001)Chung at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

ComorianNiger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (2007-2011){{Cite news |last=Lafon |first=Michel |title=Le système Kamar-Eddine : une tentative originale d'écriture du comorien en graphie arabe |url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00265704/document |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430044934/https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00265704/document |archive-date=30 Apr 2023 |access-date= |pages=(14–15): 29–48}}Comoros
Dagaare

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,300,000 (1999–2021)Southern Dagaare at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Dagaari Dioula at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Northern Dagara at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Ivory Coast

Dagbani

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,200,000 (2013)Dagbani at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Ghana, Togo

DangmeNiger–Congo (Probable)1,020,000 (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ada Dangme] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Ghana
Daza

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|700,000 (2019–2021)Daza at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Chad and Niger

Dciriku

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|82,000 (2004–2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/diu Dciriku] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Namibia, Botswana and Angola

Dendi

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|440,000 (2000-2021)Dendi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Benin, Niger, and Nigeria

Dengese

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,600 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dez/ Dengese] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Defaka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200 (2001){{Cite news |last=Blench |first=Roger |year=2019 |title=An Atlas of Nigerian Languages |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/afn/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190605001805/https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/afn/ |archive-date=2019-06-05 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue |publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation |location=Cambridge |language=en |edition=4th}}

|Spoken in Nigeria

Dinka

|Nilo-Saharan

|4,238,400 (2007)Dinka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|South Sudan

Djimini

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|96,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dyi/ Djimini] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Spoken in Ivory Coast

Doghose

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|20,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/dos Dogosé] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Dogoso

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|9,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dgs/ Dogoso] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast

Doko

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dongo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to South Sudan

Dyula

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,600,000 (2012–2021)Dyula at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ivory Coast

Dzando

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|6,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/dzn Dzando] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dzodinka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,600 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/add/ Dzodinka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Ebira

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,200,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/igb Ebira] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Ekoka ǃKung

|Kxʼa

|16,500 (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/24/language/knw Ekoka ǃKung] at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021)

|Native to South Africa, Namibia, and Angola

Eman

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|800 (1990)Eman at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

EnglishIndo-European6,500,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/eng|title=English|website=Ethnologue}} (estimated)See List of countries and territories where English is an official language
Esimbi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|34,800 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ags Esimbi] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Eton

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,500,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/eto/ Eton] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mct/ Mengisa (duplicate code)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Evant

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bzz Evant] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Ewondo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|580,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ewo Ewondo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Fang

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000,000 (2006–2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fan/ Fang] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Recognized minority in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon

Native to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and São Tomé and Príncipe

Fang

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,000 (2011)Fang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Fanji

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|17,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bfj/ Fanji] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Farefare

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|660,000 (1991–2013)Farefare at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana

Feʼfeʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|140,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fmp/ Feʼfeʼ] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Fio

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown but extant (2011-2015){{cite journal |last=Di Carlo |first=Pierpaolo |year=2011 |title=Lower Fungom linguistic diversity and its historical development: proposals from a multidisciplinary perspective |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/aflin_2033-8732_2011_num_17_1_994 |journal=Africana Linguistica |volume=XVII |pages=53–100 |access-date=2024-09-23}}{{cite thesis |last=Ivoline |first=Budji K. |title=Spotlight on a Threatened Language: The Fio Language of the Bamenda Grassfields of North western Cameroon |degree=MA |publisher=Catholic University of Cameroon |year=2015 |location=Bamenda}}

|Native to Cameroon

FonNiger–Congo2,300,000 (2019–2021)Fon at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Benin
Fongoro

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|a few elders (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fgr/ Fongoro] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

FrenchIndo-European1,200,000{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=French|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/fra|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Ethnologue.com}} (estimated)See List of territorial entities where French is an official language and African French
FulaniNiger–Congo67,000,000 (2014–2021)Fulani at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Pulaar (Senegambia, Mauritania) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Pular (Guinea, Sierra Leone) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Maasina Fulfulde (Mali, Ghana) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Borgu Fulfulde (Benin, Togo) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Western Niger Fulfulde (Burkina, Niger) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Central–Eastern Niger Fulfulde (Niger) at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Northern Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Northern Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Southern Niger, and Senegal
Fungor

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,700 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fuj/ Fungor] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Fur

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|790,000 (2004–2023)Fur at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad and Sudan

Furu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|16,000 (1984–1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fuu/ Furu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Fut

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bfd/ Bafut] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Fwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}{{Cite news |title="The Mafwe People Group In All Countries" |url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11196/WA |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=Joshua Project}}

|Native to Namibia and Zambia

Gǀui

|Khoe–Kwadi

|1,500 (2013)Gǀui at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Botswana

GaNiger–Congo (Probable)745,000 (2016)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/gaa Ga] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Ghana
GermanIndo-EuropeanNational language of Namibia, special status in South Africa
Gendza

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|43,000 (1986)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lgz Gendza] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Gengele Creole

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geme

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|550 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/geq Geme] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Central African Republic

Ghomalaʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|350,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbj/ Ghomala] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

GikuyuNiger–Congo (Probable)8,100,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kik|title=Gikuyu|website=Ethnologue}}Spoken in Kenya
Goundo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30 (1998)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/goy Goundo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Chad

Gourmanché

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,500,000 (2012–2021)Gourmanchéma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo

Gumuz

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|160,000 in Ethiopia (2007)

88,000 in Sudan (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/guk Gumuz] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Spoken in Ethiopia and Sudan

Gwari

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,840,000 (2020)Gbagyi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Gbari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Nigeria

Gyong

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kdm/ Gyong] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Hakaona

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Angola and Namibia

Hanga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|6,800 (2003)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/hag/ Hanga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ghana

Ḥarsusi

|Afroasiatic

|600 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/hss/ Harsusi] at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)

|Native to Oman

Hassaniya Arabic

|Afroasiatic

|5,200,000 (2014–2021){{Cite news |year=2024 |title=Hassaniyya {{!}} Ethnologue Free |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mey |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230309073757/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mey/ |archive-date=2023-03-09 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue (Free All) |language=en-US |edition=27th}}

|Mali, Recognized in Morocco

HausaAfroasiatic54,000,000 (2021–2023)Hausa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Recognized in Nigeria, Ghana, and Niger
Heiban

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,000 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/hbn Heiban] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

Hendo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/soe Hendo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Herero

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|250,000 (2015–2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/her OvaHerero] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Namibia, Botswana and Angola

HindiIndo-EuropeanSpoken in Mauritius
Hlubi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to South Africa

Hõne

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|7,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/juh/ Hõne] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Hun-Saare

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|73,000 (1985)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/uss/ Us-Saare] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/uth/ Ut-Hun] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Humburi Senni

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|81,000 (1999–2021)Humburi Senni at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Spoken in Burkina Faso, and Mali

Hyam

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|300,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/jab/ Hyam] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Ibibio

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|6,300,000 (2020)Ibibio at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Nigeria

Iceve-Maci

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12,000 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bec Ceve] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Idun

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|78,000 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ldb/ Idun] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Igala

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,600,000 (2020)Igala at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Nigeria

Igbo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|31,000,000 (2020)Igbo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Nigeria

Ik

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|14,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ikx Ik] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Uganda

Ila

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|106,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ilb/ Ila] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/shq/ Sala] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia

Imraguen

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|530 (2006)[https://people.umass.edu/nconstan/representatives/ "Language Representative Counts"]. Retrieved 2023-09-01.

|Native to Mauritania

Ipulo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,500 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ass Ipulo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Isu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/isu Isu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Iyive

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/uiv Iyive] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Izon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,400,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ijc Izon] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Spoken in Nigeria

ItalianIndo-EuropeanRecognized in Eritrea and Somalia
Jagham

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|120,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/etu/ Ekoi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Jahanka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (2017–2022)Jahanka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Guinea

Jarawa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|250,000 (2006–2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/jjr/ Zhár (Bankal)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dbm/ Zugur (Duguri)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bau/ Mbat (Bada)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/jgk/ Gwak (Gingwak)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required

|Native to Nigeria

Jelkung

|Afro-Asiatic

|1,300 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/saa/ Jelkung] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Jiba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,000 (1977)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/juo Jiba] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Jju

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|600,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kaj Jju] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Juǀʼhoan

|Kxʼa

|4,000 (2003)Güldemann, Tom (2003). "Khoisan Languages". [https://books.google.com/books?id=sl_dDVctycgC&pg=RA1-PA362 International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Vol. 1: AAVE-Esperanto]. Oxford University Press. p. 362. {{ISBN|978-0-19-513977-8}}

|Native to Namibia and Botswana

Juba Arabic

|Arabic-based creole

|250,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/pga Juba Arabic] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan

Jukun Takum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

| 2,400 (2000)Jukun at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Jur Modo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|180,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bex Jur Modo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan

Kabalai

|Afro-Asiatic

|18,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kvf/ Kabalai] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Kadugli

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|75,000 (2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xtc/ Kadugli] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Kamara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2003)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/jmr/ Kamara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana

Kanga

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|17,000 (2022)Kanga at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Kalabari

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|258,000 (2006){{Cite web |date=2013-08-15 |title=2006 Funded Projects |url=http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/ll_projects_2006.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815055155/http://www.endangeredlanguagefund.org/ll_projects_2006.php |archive-date=2013-08-15 |access-date=2013-06-15 |website=Endangered Language Fund}}

|Native to Nigeria

KalenjinNilo-Saharan (Probable)6,600,000{{Citation needed|date=March 2025|reason=Whats the source, date, etc}}Native to Kenya and Uganda
Kanembu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|880,000 (2019)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kbl Kanembu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/txj Old Kanembu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Chad

Kantosi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|6,300 (2020)Kantosi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana

Kanuri

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|9,600,000 (1993–2021)Kanuri at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Central Kanuri at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Manga Kanuri at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Tumari Kanuri at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Bilma Kanuri at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Kanembu at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Old Kanembu at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria

Kar

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|40,000 (1995)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xrb/ Kar] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Karanga

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|10,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kth/ Karanga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Kasena

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|250,000 (1998–2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xsm/ Kasena] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana

Kassonke

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,500,000 (2009–2022)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kao Kassonke] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Recognized in Mali

Katla

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 Julud (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kcr Katla] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

Possibly 14,000 Katla (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/17/language/kcr/ Katla] language at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)

|Native to Sudan

Keiga

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|6,100 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kec/ Keiga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Kemezung

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,540 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dmo/ Kemezung] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Kendeje

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|1,900 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/klf/ Kendeje] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Kele

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|14,000 (2000–2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/keb/ West Kele, Bubi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nra/ Ngom] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon

Kele-Foma

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|160,000 (1980)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/khy/ Kele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fom/ Foma] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Keliko

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|42,500 (1989–2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kbo Keliko] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kelo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|200 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/xel Kelo] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

|Native to Sudan

Kgalagadi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|65,400 (2015)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xkv/ Kgalagadi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Botswana

Khwe

|Khoe–Kwadi

|8,000 (2011)Brenzinger, Matthias (2011) "The twelve modern Khoisan languages." In Witzlack-Makarevich & Ernszt (eds.), Khoisan languages and linguistics: proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium, Riezlern / Kleinwalsertal (Research in Khoisan Studies 29). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.

|Native to Namibia, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia

KhoekhoeKhoe–Kwadi200,000 ± 10,000 (2011)National language of Namibia
Ki

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|26,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bag/ Ki] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

Leti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mct/ Mengisa (duplicate code)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Kim

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kia/ Kim] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

KimbunduNiger–Congo (Probable)1,700,000 (2015)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kmb Kimbundu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)Angola
KinyarwandaNiger–Congo (Probable)15,000,000 (2014–2024)Kinyarwanda at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Rwanda
KirundiNiger–Congo (Probable)13,000,000 (2021)Rundi at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)Burundi
Kisi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kiz Kisi] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Tanzania

Kissi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|910,000 (2017–2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kss Southern Kissi] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kqs Northern Kissi] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone

Kita Maninka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|449,000 (2001-2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mwk Kita Maninka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Recognized in Mali

KitubaKongo-based creole13,000,000 (2018–2022)Kituba (RC) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Kituba (DRC) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo
Koalib

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kib Koalib] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

Korandje

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|3,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kcy/ Korandje] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Algeria

Koro Wachi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (2006–2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ahs/ Ashe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bqv/ Begbere-Ejar] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Kom

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|210,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bkm/ Kom] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Komo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|10,000 in Sudan (1979)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xom/ Komo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

8,500 in Ethiopia (2007)[http://www.csa.gov.et/images/documents/pdf_files/regional/CountryLevel.pdf Ethiopia 2007 Census]

|Native to Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia

KongoNiger–Congo (Probable)6,000,000 cited 1982–2021)Kongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Koongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Ladi, Laadi, Lari or Laari at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

San Salvador Kongo (South) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Yombe at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Angola, recognised national language of Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo
Konkomba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|920,000 (2012–2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/xon Konkomba] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ghana and Togo

Konni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,800 (2003)Konni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ghana

Koshin

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2011)Koshin at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Koyra Chiini

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|200,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/khq/ Koyra Chiini] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mali

Koyraboro Senni

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|430,000 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ses/ Koyraboro Senni] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mali

Kulango

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|470,000 (2021)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nku Bouna] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kzc Bondoukou] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast

Kunda

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|160,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kdn/ Kunda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique

Kusaal

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|121,000 (2021 census)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kus/ Kusaal] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo

Kusu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|26,000 (1971)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ksv/ Kusu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Kresh

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|16,000 including Dongo (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/krs/ Kresh] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to South Sudan

Krio

|English Creole

|860,000 (2021)Sierra Leonean Creole at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sierra Leone

Krongo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|54,000 (2022)Krongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Kuba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kxx/ Kuba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Kuk

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kfn/ Kuk] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Kukelle

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|180,000 to 200,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kez/ Kele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Kunama

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|180,000 (2022)Kunama at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Eritrea, and Ethiopia

Kung

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kfl/ Kung] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Kurama

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|40,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/krh/ Kurama] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Kuranko

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|670,000 (2017–2021)Kuranko at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Guinea and Sierra Leone

Kuvale

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|70,000 (2015)Kuvale language at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)

|Native to Angola

Kwaʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000 (2000)Kwaʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Kwala

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|45,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kwc/ Kwala] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of the Congo

Kwama

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|15,000 (2015)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kmq Kwama] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ethiopia

Kwambi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|33,000 (2006)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kwm/ Kwambi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Namibia and Angola

Kwangali

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|152,000 (2018)"Kwangali". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

|Native to Namibia and Angola

Kwangwa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,400 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lyn/ Luyana] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia

Kwanyama

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|670,000 (1993-2006)Kwanyama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Namibia and Angola

Kyenga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12,000 (1995–2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tye/ Kyenga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Benin and Nigeria

Kyoli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|7,000-8,000 (2020)Decker, Ken, John Muniru, Julius Dabet, Benard Abraham and Jonah Innocent. 2020. [https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/86280 A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Kyoli (Cori) [cry] Language of Kaduna State, Nigeria.] SIL Electronic Survey Reports.

|Native to Nigeria

Lala

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown but extant (1999)[http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/17881/thesis_zungu_em.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y "A comparative phonological and morphological analysis of the North and South Lala dialects of Tekela Nguni"]. University of South Africa (UNISA). 1999-12-01. Retrieved 2025-03-12.

|Native to South Africa

Lala-Bisa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|350,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/leb/ Lala-Bisa] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lamba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lam/ Lamba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Laimbue

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,000 (1994)Laimbue at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Laro

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|40,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lro/ Laro] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Lega

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|450,000 (1982–2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lea/ Shabunda Lega] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lgm/ Mwenga Lega] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/khx/ Kanu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ktf/ Kwami] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Lele

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|26,000 (1971)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lel/ Lele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Lendu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|760,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/led/ Lendu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of Congo

Lenje

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|130,000 (2010)

|Native to Zambia

Leti

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|"small population" (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/leo/ Leti] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mct/ Mengisa (duplicate code)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Lia-Ntomba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200,000 (1980-2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nto/ Ntomba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bli/ Bolia] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ligbi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|19,000 (1991–2003)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lig/ Ligbi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ghana

Limba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,200 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mzd/ Limba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Limba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|520,000 (1993-2019)"Limba, East". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.

"Limba, West-Central". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.

|Native to Guinea and Sierra Leone

Limbum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|130,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lmp/ Limbum] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

LingalaNiger–Congo (Probable)21,000,000 (2021)Lingala at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)National language of Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo
Lobedu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000,000 (estimated)Cohen, C (1968). Rider Haggard: His life and works. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK. {{ISBN|1-349-00602-5}}.

|Native to South Africa

Logol

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|13,000 (2022)Logol at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Loki

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,200{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/15/show_language/bkt Loki] at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Londo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bzm/ Londo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lorhon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1991–1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lor/ Lorhon] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast

Losengo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|67,000 (1983–2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lse/ Losengo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bkt/ Boloki] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndl/ Ndolo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lozi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|725,000 (1982–2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/loz/ Lozi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

LugandaNiger–Congo (Probable)5,600,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lug Ganda] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Native to Uganda
Lugbara

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|1,600,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lgg/ Lugbara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/snm/ Southern Ma'di] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo

Kuhane

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|45,000Kuhane at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia

LuhyaNiger–Congo (Probable)6,800,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/luh|title=Luhya|website=Ethnologue}}Spoken in Kenya
Lumun

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000 (2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lmd Lumun] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

LuoNilo-Saharan (Probable)4,200,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/luo/ Luo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Kenya, Tanzania
Luyana

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,380 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lyn Luyana] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Zambia

Maba

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|570,000 (2019)Maba at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad

Ma'di

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|310,000 (1982–2002)Ma'di at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Uganda and South Sudan

Mada

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (not counting Nunku) (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mda/ Mada] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

MalagasyAustronesian18,000,000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mlg|title=Malagasy|website=Ethnologue}}Madagascar
Marfa

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|5,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mvu Marfa] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native in Chad

Marka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|190,000 (2009–2014)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/rkm Marka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Spoken in Burkina Faso

Mama

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,000–3,000 (2001)[https://web.archive.org/web/20140907000403/http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2011-171_jkt.pdf "Archived copy"] (PDF). Archived from [http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2011-171_jkt.pdf the original] (PDF) on 2014-09-07. Retrieved 2015-02-20.

|Native to Nigeria

Mampruli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|230,000 (2004)Dagbani

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Togo

Mandinka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,100,000 (2017–2022)Mandinka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Recognized in Senegal

Mangbetu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|662,000 (1985)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mdj Mangbetu] at Ethnologue (13th ed., 1996).

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lmi Lombi] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Maninka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,600,000 (2012–2021)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mku Konyanka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/emk Eastern Maninkaka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/msc Sankaran Maninkaka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mzj Manya (Liberia)] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/jod Wojenaka (Odienné Jula)] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Spoken in Nigeria

Mankon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|19,000 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nge/ Mankon] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Manta

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,300 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/myg/ Manta] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/acb/ Áncá (?)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Masaba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,700,000 (2002 & 2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/myx/ Masaba (Gisu, Kisu, Dadiri, Buya)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bxk/ Bukusu (Tachoni)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

Tachoni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Kenya

Masalit

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|410,000 (2019–2022)Masalit at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Massalat at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad and Sudan

Mashi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|22,000 (2000–2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mho/ Mashi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xdo/ Kwandu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia and Angola

Massa

|Afro-Asiatic

|340,000 (1982–2019)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mcn Massa] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon and Chad

Mauritian CreoleFrench Creole1,100,000 (2016){{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mfe|title=Morisyen|website=Ethnologue}}Native to Mauritius
Mbamba Bay

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|6,000 (2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mjh/ Mwera] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Tanzania

Mbandja

|Ubangian

|360,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/zmz/ Mbandja] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic

Mbati

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|60,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mdn/ Mbati] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic

Mbe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|65,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mfo Mbe] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Mbəʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,500 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mtk/ Mbəʼ] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbessa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2020)Mbessa at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbili-Mbui

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/baw/ Mbili-Mbui] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbowe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|460 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mxo/ Mbowe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbre

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mka Mbre] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ivory Coast

Mbuʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/muc/ Mbuʼ] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbuk

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|600 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/bpc Mbuk] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbuko

|Afro-Asiatic

|15,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mqb/ Mbuko] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mbukushu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|95,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mhw Mbukushu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|National language in Namibia and Native to Angola, Botswana, and Zambia

Mbwasa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|UnknownBlench, Roger, 2011. [http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/Bantoid/General/Blench%20Bantu%20IV%20Berlin%20Bantoid%202011.pdf The membership and internal structure of Bantoid and the border with Bantu]. Bantu IV, Humboldt University, Berlin.

|Native to Cameroon

Medumba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|210,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/byv/ Medumba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mehri

|Afro-Asiatic

|230,000 (2020)

|Native to Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia

Menchum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bby/ Menchum] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mendankwe-Nkwen

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|28,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mfd Mendankwe-Nkwen] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Mengaka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|20,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/xmg/ Mengaka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Menyam

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,000 (1994)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bce/ Bamenyam] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mesaka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|14,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/iyo/ Mesaka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mfumte

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,700 (1982-2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nfu/ Mfumte] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fum/ Fum] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kdz/ Kwaja (East Mfumte)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Minyanka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|740,000 (2000){{Cite news |year=2015 |title=Sénoufo, Mamara |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/myk/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190605003402/https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/myk/ |archive-date=2019-06-05 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue |language=en |edition=18th}}

|Native to Mali

Missong

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|400 (2012)Pierpaolo Di Carlo & Jeff Good. 2012. [http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jcgood/DiCarloGood-LFIdeology.pdf What are we trying to preserve?: Diversity, change, and ideology at the edge of the Cameroonian Grassfields]

|Native to Cameroon

Mmen

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|35,000 (2001)Mmen at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Mmuock

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Cameroon

Moba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|440,000 (2004–2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mfq/ Moba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bim/ Bimoba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo

Moro

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|79,000 (2022)Moro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Morokodo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|3,400 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mgc/ Morokodo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nwm/ Nyamusa-Molo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/gbn/ Mo’da (Gberi)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mwu/ Mittu (extinct)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to South Sudan

Moru

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|230,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/mgd Moru] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan

MossiNiger–Congo (Probable)12,000,000 (2012–2022)Mooré at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)Recognised regional language in Burkina Faso
Mono

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|65,000 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mnh/ Mono] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mongo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|400,000 (1995)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lol/ Mongo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ymg/ Yamongeri] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mooré

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|12,000,000 (2012–2022)Mooré at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Official in Burkina Faso

Native to Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Togo, Niger, and Senegal

Mundabli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|500 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/boe/ Mundabli] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required

|Native to Cameroon

Mündü

|Ubangian

|26,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/muh Mündü] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mundum

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Cameroon

Mungbam

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,900–2,200 (2012)Di Carlo, Pierpaolo; Good, Jeff (30 October 2014). [https://academic.oup.com/british-academy-scholarship-online/book/325/chapter/134958481 Endangered Languages]. British Academy.

|Native to Cameroon

Munka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|31,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bvm/ Munka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Nabit

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,000 (estimated) (2015)Naden, Tony (2014-11-08). [https://iso639-3.sil.org/sites/iso639-3/files/change_requests/2015/2015-014_nbz.pdf "Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639: nbz"] (PDF). SIL International.

|Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana

Nafanan

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|89,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nfr Nafaanra] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Ghana and the Ivory Coast

NambyaNiger–Congo (Probable)100,000 (2000–2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nmq Nambya] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)Native to Zimbabwe
Nancere

|Afroasiatic

|144,000 (2019)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nnc Nancere] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Chad

Nanerigé

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (1985)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sen/ Nanerigé] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Naro

|Khoe–Kwadi

|9,000 (2011-2014)Brenzinger, Matthias (2011) "The twelve modern Khoisan languages." In Witzlack-Makarevich & Ernszt (eds.), Khoisan languages and linguistics: proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium, Riezlern / Kleinwalsertal (Research in Khoisan Studies 29). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nhr/ Naro] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Botswana and Namibia

Nateni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|110,000 (2021)Nateni at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Benin

Naki

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/mff Naki (Cameroon)] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/buz Bukwen] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/jms Mashi] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

|Native to Cameroon, Nigeria

Ntcham

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|390,000 (2004–2013)Ntcham at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Akaselem at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Ghana and Togo

Ndaʼndaʼ

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nnz/ Ndaʼndaʼ] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

NdauNiger–Congo (Probable)2,400,000 (2000–2006)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndc/ Ndau] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Zimbabwe
NdebeleNiger–Congo (Probable)1,100,000 (2011){{cite web |year=2015 |orig-date=2011 census |title=Ndebele |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nbl/ |access-date=20 September 2016 |publisher=Ethnologue |edition=18th}}Statutory national language in South Africa
Ndemli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|10,000 (1999)Ndemli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Nding

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|400 (2020){{Cite book |last=Eberhard |first=David M. |title=Ethnoloɠue: Languages in Africa and Europe |last2=Simons |first2=Gary F. |last3=Fenning |first3=Charles D. |publisher=SIL International Publications |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-55671-458-0 |edition=23rd |location=Dallas |pages=279}}

|Native to Sudan

Ndombe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|22,300 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndq/ Ndombe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Angola

Ndonga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|810,000 (2006)Ndonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Namibia and Angola

Ndolo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1983)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndl/ Ndolo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ndrulo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|110,000 (2014–2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/dno Ndrulo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native language of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo

Ndzerem

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|<1,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}}Roger Blench & Cameron Hamm (n.d.) The Nun Languages of the Grassfields of Cameroon

|Native to Cameroon

Ngaʼka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mhk/ Ngaʼka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Ngambwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Angola

Ngando

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ngd/ Ngando] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic

Ngangam

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|200,000 (2012–2021)Ngangam at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Benin and Togo

Ngbundu

|Ubangian

|16,000 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nuu/ Ngbundu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngelima

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|14,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/agh/ Ngelima] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngiemboon

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|250,000 (2007){{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Stephen C. |year=2007 |title="PRÉCIS D'ORTHOGRAPHE POUR LA LANGUE NGIEMBOON" |url=https://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=entry_detail&uid=vwvrj4y82y |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713091717/https://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=entry_detail&uid=vwvrj4y82y |archive-date=13 July 2024 |access-date=10 March 2024}}

|Native to Cameroon

Ngile

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|39,000 (2024)Ngile at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Ngiri

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|80,000 (2000–2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/biz/ Loi (Baloi)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lie/ Likila (Balobo)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndw/ Ndobo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mmz/ Mabaale] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngiti

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|100,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/niy/ Ngiti] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngondi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2004)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndn/ Ngondi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Republic of Congo

Ngomba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|63,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/jgo/ Ngomba or Nguemba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Ngombale

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|53,500 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nla Ngombale] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Ngombe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (1971)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ngc/ Ngombe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ngwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|73,000 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nwe/ Ngwe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Nigerian Pidgin

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,700,000{{Date needed|date=March 2025}}Nigerian Pidgin at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Nigeria

Ninzo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|35,000 (1973)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nin/ Ninzo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Nkoroo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,500 (1989){{Cite news |year=2015 |title=Nkoroo |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nkx |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190604225856/https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nkx/ |archive-date=2019-06-04 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue |language=en |edition=18th}}

|Native to Nigeria

Nkumbi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/khu/ Nkumbi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Angola

Nkutu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|40,000 (1972)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nkw/ Nkutu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Nsei

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndb/ Nsei] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Nsenga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|600,000 in Zambia and Mozambique (2006 – 2010)

16,000 in Zimbabwe (1969)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nse/ Nsenga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/phm/ Phimbi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

Nso

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|240,000 (2005)Nsɔ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Noni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (2005–2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nhu/ Noone] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ncr/ Ncane] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

NoonNiger–Congo (Probable)33,000 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/snf Noon] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)Official in Senegal
Northern NdebeleNiger–Congo (Probable)2,600,000 (2023)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nde/ Ndebele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in Zimbabwe
Northern SothoNiger–Congo (Probable)4,700,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nso/ Northern Sotho] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) [2011 Census) (subscription required)

Official in South Africa
Nubi

|Arabic-based creole

|50,000 (2014-2019)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kcn Nubi Arabic] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Uganda, Kenya

Nuer

|Nilo-Saharan

|1,700,000 (2007–2017)Nuer at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to South Sudan and Ethiopia

Numana

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nbr Numana] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Nupe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,800,000 (2020)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/nup Nupe] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Nyaneka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|300,000 to 1.2 million{{Date missing|date=March 2025}} (before 1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nyk/ Nyaneka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Angola

Nyanga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (1994)Nyanga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Nyankpa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|70,000 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yes/ Nyankpa] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Nyarafolo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|60,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sev/ Nyarafolo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ivory Coast

Nyungwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|490,000 (2017)Nyungwe at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Mozambique

Nzakara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nzk/ Nzakara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Okodia

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,600 (1977){{Cite news |year=2022 |title=Okodia |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/okd |work=Ethnologue |edition=25th}}

|Native to Nigeria

Oku

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|87,000 (2005)Oku at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Ombo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,400 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/oml/ Ombo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Omi

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|91,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/omi/ Omi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Osatu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|400 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ost/ Osatu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Oluʼbo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|33,000 (2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lul Oluʼbo] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to South Sudan

Opuo

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|20,000 (2014–2019)Opuuo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Ethiopia and South Sudan

OromoAfroasiatic37,071,900 (2020) {{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/ET/languages|title=Oromo first-language speakers at Ethnologue (23rd ed., 2020)|accessdate=27 November 2023}}Official in Ethiopia

Recognized minority in Kenya

Native to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia

Oruma

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,000 (1995){{Cite news |year=2022 |title=Oruma |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/orr |work=Ethnologue |edition=25th}}

|Native to Nigeria

Otank

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|15,000 (2006)Otank at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Otoro

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|17,000 (2023)Otoro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Ovambo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,441,000 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kua/ Kwanyama] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndo/ Ndonga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kwm/ Kwambi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lnb/ Mbalanhu (Central Wambo)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nne/ Ngandjera] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Angola and Namibia

Palaka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1995)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/plr/ Palaka] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ivory Coast

Paleni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|260 (2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/pnl/ Paleni] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Pambia

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|21,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/pmb/ Pambia] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pande

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,870 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bkj/ Pande] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic

Phuthi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|20,000 (1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ssw Swati] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)Donnelly 1999:114–115.

|Native to Lesotho and South Africa

Pichinglis

|English Creole

|6,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fpe/ Pichinglis] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Bioko and Equatorial Guinea

Pinyin

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/pny/ Pinyin] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Piti

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,100 (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/pcn/ Piti] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Niger

PortugueseIndo-European17,000,000{{cite web |last1=Eberhard |first1=David M. |last2=Simons |first2=Gary F. |last3=Fennig |first3=Charles D. |title=Ethnologue report for Portuguese |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/por |website=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |access-date=16 April 2021}}Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe
Pretoria Sotho

|Sotho-Tswana language creole

|Unknown

|Native to South Africa

Rigwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|40,000 (1985)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/iri/ Rigwe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Niger

Ronga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|720,000 (2006)Ronga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mozambique and South Africa

Saari

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|7,600 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/asj Saari] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Saba

|Afroasiatic

|1,300 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/saa/ Saba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Saho

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|180,000 (2007–2022)Saho at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Eritrea and Ethiopia

Samo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|230,000 (1995–1999)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/stj/ Matya] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sym/ Maya] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sbd/ Southern] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Mali

Samwe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,500 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/wbf/ Samwe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Sakata

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|75,000 (1982)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/skt/ Sakata] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Saya

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|300,000 (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/say/ Saya] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Niger

Sekele

|Kxʼa

|20,000 (2013–2019)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/vaj Sekele] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

Ekoka ǃKung at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Namibia, Angola

SenaNiger–Congo (Probable)2,869,000 (2017–2020)Mozambiquean Sena at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Malawian Sena at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Barwe at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

Official in Zimbabwe

Recognized in Malawi

Native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

Senara

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|210,000 (1995–2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/seq/ Senara] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso and Mali

Sengele

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|17,000 (2002)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/szg/ Sengele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

SepediNiger–Congo (Probable)4,700,000 (2011)Northern Sotho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) [2011 Census] (subscription required)Official in South Africa
SesothoNiger–Congo (Probable)5,600,000 (2001–2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sot/ Sotho] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe
Setlôkwa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown (Possibly ~670,000)

|Native to Lesotho and South Africa

Seychellois CreoleFrench Creole73,000 (1998)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/crs/ Seychellois Creole] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in Seychelles
Shabo

|Language isolate or possible Nilo-Saharan

|400 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sbf/ Shabo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ethiopia

Shanjo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|4,400 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/toi/ Tonga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia

Shi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|660,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/shr/ Shi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nyg/ Nyindu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

ShonaNiger–Congo (Probable)8,400,000 (2012–2017)Shona (Zezuru, Karanga, Korekore) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Tavara (Korekore) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Manyika at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Tewe (Manyika) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Official in Zimbabwe

Recognized minority in Mozambique

Shwai

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,500 (1989)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/shw/ Shwai] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Sighu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,000 (1990)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sxe/ Sigu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Gabon

Simaa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|17,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sie/ Simaa] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia

Sinyar

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|33,000 (2023)Sinyar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad

Siwu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|27,000 (2003)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/akp/ Siwu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Ghana

SomaliAfroasiatic21,937,940{{cite web | title = Somali | publisher = SIL International|year = 2024 | url = https://www.ethnologue.com/language/som/ | access-date = 5 February 2024}}Official in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya

Recognized minority in Kenya

Soninke

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,300,000 (2017–2021)Soninke at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Official in Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and The Gambia

Native to Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal

Soli

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|34,000 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sby/ Soli] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Zambia

Sotho

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,600,000 (2001–2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sot/ Sotho] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

South Banda

|Ubangian

|200,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lnl/ South Central Banda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/lna/ Langbashe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Southeast Ijo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|72,000 (1977){{Cite news |title=Ijo, Southeast |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ijs/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190605004227/https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ijs/ |archive-date=2019-06-05 |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Ethnologue |language=en}}

|Native to Nigeria

Southern Birifor

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|190,000 (2017)Southern Birifor at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast

Suba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|140,000 (2009)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sxb/ Suba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Kenya

Suba-Simbiti

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|110,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ssc/ Suba-Simbiti] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Tanzania

Sucite

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|38,000 (1999–2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sep/ Siccité] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Suku

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|50,000 (1980)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sub/ Suku] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Sukur

|Afroasiatic

|15,000 (1992)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/syk/ Sukur] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Supyire

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|460,000 (1996–2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/spp/ Supyire] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mali

Sumayela Ndebele

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown but extantJouni Filip Maho, 2009. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180203191542/http://goto.glocalnet.net/mahopapers/nuglonline.pdf New Updated Guthrie List Online]

Skhosana, Philemon Buti (2009). [https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/28563/Complete.pdf?sequence=8 The Linguistic Relationship between Southern and Northern Ndebele] (PDF) (DLitt thesis). University of Pretoria. hdl:2263/28563[http://www.northernndebele.com/ "SiNdebele saseNyakatho"]. Northern Ndebele. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2019-09-30.[http://www.salanguages.com/northernndebele/index.htm "South African Languages | Northern Ndebele"]. Salanguages.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.

|Native to South Africa

Susu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,400,000 (2017–2019)Susu at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Bissau

Suwu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|"few" (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/szv/ Suwu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

SpanishIndo-European1,100,000 (2018){{cite web|title=Spanish|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/spa|publisher=Ethnologue|access-date=10 January 2018}}Equatorial Guinea, Spain (Ceuta, Melilla, Canary Islands), still marginally spoken in Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, recognized in Morocco
Songhoyboro Ciine

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|946,000 (2014){{Cite web |title=L'aménagement: linguistique dans le monde |url=https://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/afrique/niger.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224161306/https://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/afrique/niger.htm |archive-date=Feb 24, 2021 |access-date=}}

|Native to Niger

Southern NdebeleNiger–Congo1,100,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nbl/ Ndebele] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in South Africa
Surbakhal

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|7,900 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/sbj/ Surbakhal] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Chad

Syer-Tenyer

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|30,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/kza Syer-Tenyer] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) (Paywalled)

|Native to Burkina Faso

SwahiliNiger–Congo (Probable)5,300,000 (2019–2023)Swahili at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Congo Swahili at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Coastal Swahili at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Makwe (?) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Mwani (?) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Official in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
SwaziNiger–Congo (Probable)2,300,000 (2013–2019)Swazi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Official in South Africa, Swaziland
Taa

|Tuu

|2,500 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/nmn/ Taa] at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)

|Native to Botswana and Namibia

Tadaksahak

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|170,000 (2022)Tadaksahak at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Mali and Niger

Tagdal

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|65,000 (2021)Tagdal at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Niger

Tagoi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|29,000 (2022)Tagoi at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Tagwana

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|140,000 (1993)

|Native to Ivory Coast

Talodi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,500 (1989)

|Native to Sudan

Talni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (estimated) (2015)[http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2015-014_tqi.pdf ISO change request]

|Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana

TamilDravidianNative to Mauritius
Tasawaq

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|21,000 (2021)Tasawaq at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Niger

Teda

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|130,000 (2020–2024)Teda at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad, Libya, and Niger

Tegali

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|110,000 (2022)Tegali at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Tegem

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,100 (1984)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/none Tegem] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

Telugu

|Dravidian

|

|Native to Mauritius

Tembo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|150,000 (1994)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tbt/ Tembo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tetela

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|760,000 (1991)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tll/ Tetela] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/hba/ Hamba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

TigrinyaAfroasiatic9,700,000 (2022){{Cite web |year=2024 |title=Tigrigna |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/tir |website=Ethnologue |edition=27th}}Official in Eritrea and Ethiopia
Tikar

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|110,000 (2005)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tik/ Tikar] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Tiro

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|34,000 (2022)Tiro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

Tima

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,300 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tms/ Tima] language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Tiv

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|5,200,000 (2024)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/tiv Tiv] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Tocho

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,700 (2013)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/taz/ Tocho] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Tondi Songway Kiini

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|3,000 (1998)Tondi Songway Kiini at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mali

TongaNiger–Congo (Probable)1,500,000 (2001–2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/toi/ Tonga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/dov/ Dombe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

Official in Zimbabwe

Recognized minority in Zambia

Tonga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|330,000 (2017)Tonga at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Mozambique

Tonga

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|165,000 (2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/23/language/tog/ Tonga] at Ethnologue (23th ed., 2020) (subscription required)

|Recognized minority language in Malawi

Totela

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,220 (2010)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ttl/ Totela] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Namibia and Zambia

Tsamai

|Afroasiatic

|18,000 (2007)Tsamai at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Ethiopia

Tsotsitaal and Camtho, aka Iscamtho

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|500,000 (estimated)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/fly/ Tsotsitaal] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/cmt/ Camtho] at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)

|Native to South Africa

TshilubaNiger–Congo (Probable)6,300,000 (1991){{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lua|title=Luba-Kasai|website=Ethnologue}}National language of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tsonga or XitsongaNiger–Congo (Probable)3,700,000 (2006–2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tso/ Tsonga] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in South Africa and Zimbabwe

Recognized minority in Mozambique

Native to Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

TshivendaNiger–Congo (Probable)1,300,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ven/ TshiVenda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)Official in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Tswa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,200,000 (2006)Tswa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Mozambique

TswanaNiger–Congo (Probable)5,800,000 (2015){{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tsn|title=Tswana|date=19 November 2019}}Official in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Recognized minority in Namibia

Native to Botswana and South Africa

Tulishi

|Nilo-Saharan

|2,500 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tey/ Tulishi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

Tumbuka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|7,100,000 (2024){{Cite web |title=Chitumbuka,Citumbuka,Tamboka,Tambuka,Tumboka,Tumbuka to English dictionary . |url=https://lughayangu.com/index.php/tumbuka |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Lughayangu}}

|Recognized minority language in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia

Tumtum

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|17,000 (2022)Tumtum at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Sudan

TwiNiger–Congo (Probable)630,000{{Citation needed|reason=Where does this number come from? How are we sure this number reflects Twi and not all Akan speakers? What year is the data from?|date=March 2025}}Regional language in Ghana
Tyap

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|875,000 (2020)Tyap at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Nigeria

Uduk

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|22,000{{Date missing|date=March 2025}} (presumably after 2005)Uduk at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)

|Native to Sudan and South Sudan

UmbunduNiger–Congo (Probable)7,000,000 (2018)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/umb Umbundu] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Official in Angola
VendaNiger–Congo (Probable)1,300,000 (2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ven/ TshiVenda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Official in South Africa, Zimbabwe

Native to South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

Vengo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|27,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bav/ Vengo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Viemo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1995)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/vig/ Viemo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Burkina Faso

Viti

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown (one village)"Viti". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-08-12.

|Native to Nigeria

Vori

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|3,000 (2016)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/sde Vori] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Nigeria

Voro

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|Unknown

|Native to Nigeria

Wannu

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|a few thousand (1998)[https://www.ethnologue.com/16/show_language/jub Wannu] at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)

|Native to Nigeria

Wali

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|85,000 (2013)Wali at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Ghana

Wali

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|9,000 (2007)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/wll Wali] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Sudan

Wapan

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|100,000 (1994)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/juk/ Wapan] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Nigeria

Weh

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|8,000 (1993)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/weh/ Weh] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

Werni

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,100 (1956)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/wrn/ Werni] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Sudan

West Banda

|Ubangian

|7,500 (1982–1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bbp/ West Banda] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic and South Sudan

WolofNiger–Congo (Probable)7,100,000 (2020–2021)Wolof at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

Gambian Wolof at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

| Lingua franca in Senegal

Wongo

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|13,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/won/ Wongo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wushi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|27,000 (2008)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bav/ Vengo] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/nsc/ Nshi (?)] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and possibly Nigeria

XhosaNiger–Congo (Probable)7,600,000 (2013)Official in South Africa, Zimbabwe

Recognized minority in Botswana

Native to South Africa and Lesotho

Yamba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|80,000 (2000)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yam/ Yamba] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon and Nigeria

Yangere

|Ubangian

|27,000 (1996)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yaj/ Yangere] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic

Yalunka

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|181,000 (2002–2017)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/yal Yalunka] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Guinea

Yela-Kela

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|213,000 Kela (1972-1977)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/kel/ Kela] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yel/ Yela] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo

Yemba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|500,000 estimated (2023)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/ybb Yemba] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Cameroon

Yeyi

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|55,000 (2001)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yey/ Yeyi] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Namibia and Botswana

Yobe

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|22,000 (1991–2012)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/soy/ Miyobe] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Benin and Togo

YorubaNiger–Congo (Probable)45,000,000 (2021)Nigeria, Benin, Togo
Yulu

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|13,000 (1987–2011)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/yul/ Yulu] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan

Zaghawa

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|450,000 (2019–2022)Zaghawa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Chad and Sudan

Zande

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|1,800,000 (1996–2017)Zande at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)

|Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan

Zarma

|Nilo-Saharan (Probable)

|6,000,000 (2021)Zarma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)

|Native to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria

Zemba

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|25,000 (2011-2016)[https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/dhm Zemba] at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

|Native to Angola and Namibia

Zhire

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|11,000 to 15,000 (2021){{Cite news |last=Muniru |first=John |last2=Decker |first2=Kendall D. |last3=Dabet |first3=Julius |last4=Abraham |first4=Benard |last5=Innocent |first5=Jonah |title=A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Zhire [zhi] Language of Kaduna State, Nigeria |url=https://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/88036 |access-date= |work=SIL International Publications}}

|Native to Nigeria

Zhoa

|Niger–Congo (Probable)

|2,000 (1995)[https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/zhw/ Zhoa] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

|Native to Cameroon

ZuluNiger–Congo (Probable)12,000,000 (2013–2017)Zulu at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) South Africa

=By region=

Below is a list of the major languages of Africa by region, family and total number of primary language speakers in millions.

class="wikitable" style="text-valign:top"
valign="top"

|

;North Africa

  • Afroasiatic
  • Semitic
  • Arabic: 200
  • Berber: 30–40
  • Kabyle
  • Atlas
  • Tuareg
  • Zenaga
  • Nilo-Saharan
  • Nubian: 5+{{cite web |url=http://www.secid.org/usefsociety/pdf/nubian.pdf |title=Memories of Utopia- Infoshop, World Bank |access-date=14 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406044519/http://www.secid.org/usefsociety/pdf/nubian.pdf |archive-date=6 April 2012 |last=Mannan |first=Nuraddin |quote=There is no exact census for the Nubian population but some researchers estimate their number in Sudan for about 5 millions and about three millions in Egypt. |date=2006-05-31}}
  • Fur: 5+{{cite web|url=http://www.sudantribune.com/CORRECTION-Census-shows-South,30867|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224151231/http://www.sudantribune.com/CORRECTION-Census-shows-South,30867|archive-date=24 December 2010|title=CORRECTION: Census shows South Sudan population at 8.2 million: report – Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan|website=www.sudantribune.com|access-date=21 July 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.unsudanig.org/docs/darfur_fact_sheet_v22_5.pdf|title=unsudanig.org|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-date=12 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112100144/http://www.unsudanig.org/docs/darfur_fact_sheet_v22_5.pdf}}[http://www.darfurcentre.ch/images/00_DRDC_documents/DRDC_Reports_Briefing_Papers/DRDC_Report_on_the_5th_Population_Census_in_Sudan.pdf DRDC Report on the 5th Population Census in Sudan] darfurcentre.ch {{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  • Zaghawa{{cite book |first=John A. |last=Shoup |title=Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East |year=2011 |page=333 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-59884-363-7 |quote=The Zaghawa is one of the major divisions of the Beri peoples who live in western Sudan and eastern Chad, and their language, also called Zaghawa, belongs to the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language group.}}
  • Masalit
  • Niger–Congo
  • Kordofanian languages
  • Nuba{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/sudan/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}

|

;Central Africa

  • Niger–Congo, Bantu
  • Lingala{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/congo-democratic-republic-of-the/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Kinyarwanda:12{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/rwanda/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Kongo:5+{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/angola/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/congo-republic-of-the/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Tshiluba
  • Kirundi{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/burundi/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}

|

;Eastern Africa

  • Niger–Congo, Bantu:
  • Swahili: 5–10
  • Gikuyu: 8+{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kenya/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Ganda:6{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uganda/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Luhya: 6+
  • Austronesian
  • Malagasy: 20+
  • Niger–Congo, Ubangian
  • Gbaya:2{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/central-african-republic/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Banda:1–2
  • Zande{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-sudan/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Nilo-Saharan
  • Kanuri:10{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/chad/ |title=The World Factbook |date=22 September 2021 }}
  • Luo:5+
  • Sara:3–4
  • Kalenjin:6+
  • Dinka
  • Nuer
  • Shilluk
  • Maasai:1–2{{cite web|url=http://www.knbs.or.ke/censusethnic.php |title=Welcome to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics |access-date=28 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121153548/http://www.knbs.or.ke/censusethnic.php |archive-date=21 November 2013 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.thelanguagejournal.com/2012/04/maasai-of-kenya-and-tanzania.html |title=The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania |first=Dine |last=Racoma |website=The Language Journal |date=2012-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428023726/http://www.thelanguagejournal.com/2012/04/maasai-of-kenya-and-tanzania.html |archive-date=2012-04-28}}
  • Afroasiatic
  • Semitic
  • Amharic: 20+
  • Tigrinya: 5
  • Cushitic
  • Somali: 10–15
  • Oromo: 30–35
  • Nilo-Saharan: 1{{cite report |url=http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf |title=Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census: Population Size by Age and Sex |access-date=29 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214221803/http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf |archive-date=14 February 2012 |publisher=Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |date=December 2008 |location=Addis Ababa}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Gumuz
  • Anuak
  • Kunama
  • Nara
  • Niger–Congo: 1{{cite web|url=http://www.somraf.org/research%20Matrerials/joint%20british%20danish%20dutch%20fact%20finding%20mission%20in%20Nairobi%20-%202001.pdf |title=Report on minority groups in Somalia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021044246/http://www.somraf.org/research%20Matrerials/joint%20british%20danish%20dutch%20fact%20finding%20mission%20in%20Nairobi%20-%202001.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2013 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/somalia/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Zigula

|

;Southern Africa

  • Niger–Congo, Bantu
  • Zulu: 10{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Xhosa: 8
  • Chokwe{{cite web |last1=Akindipe |first1=Tola |last2=Kakaula |first2=Geofrey |last3=Joné |first3=Alcino |title=Learn Chokwe Language |url=http://chokwe.mofeko.com/ |website=Learn Chokwe (Mofeko)}}
  • Shona: 7
  • Sotho: 5
  • Tsonga: 12
  • Tswana: 4{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/botswana/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Umbundu: 4
  • Sepedi: 4
  • Chichewa: 8{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malawi/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/zambia/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Makua: 8{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mozambique/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Indo-European
  • Germanic
  • Afrikaans: 7
  • English: 5
  • Romance
  • Portuguese: 14

|

;West Africa

  • Niger–Congo
  • Benue–Congo
  • Ibibio (Nigeria): 7
  • Volta–Niger
  • Igbo (Nigeria): 30–35
  • Yoruba: 40
  • Kwa:
  • Akan (Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire): 11
  • Gur
  • More: 5
  • Senegambian
  • Fula (West Africa): 40{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/senegal/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/gambia-the/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cameroon/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Wolof: 8
  • Afroasiatic
  • Chadic
  • Hausa: 50
  • Nilo-Saharan
  • Saharan
  • Kanuri: 10
  • Songhai:5{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/|title=The World Factbook|date=22 September 2021}}
  • Zarma:5

See also

{{Portal|Africa|Language}}

=General=

=Works=

=Classifiers=

=Colonial and migratory influences=

Notes

{{reflist}}{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

References

  • {{cite book |last=Childs |first=George Tucker |year=2003 |title=An Introduction to African Languages |location=Amsterdam |publisher=John Benjamin |oclc=52766015 |isbn=9781588114211}}
  • {{cite conference |last=Chimhundu |first=Herbert |year=2002 |title=Language Policies in Africa |conference=Intergovernmental Conference on Language Policies in Africa |edition=Revised |publisher=UNESCO |location=Harare |url=https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/00245-EN.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516203511/https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/00245-EN.pdf |archive-date=2017-05-16}}
  • {{cite book |author-link=Robert Needham Cust |last=Cust |first=Robert Needham |year=1883 |title=Modern Languages of Africa}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last=Ellis |editor-first=Stephen |year=1996 |title=Africa Now: People, Policies, and Institutions |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) |isbn=9780435089870}}
  • {{cite book |last=Elugbe |first=Ben | year=1998 |chapter=Cross-border and major languages of Africa |editor-first=K. |editor-last=Legère |title=Cross-border Languages: Reports and Studies, Regional Workshop on Cross-Border Languages, National Institute for Educational Development (NIED), Okahandja, 23–27 September 1996 |location=Windhoek |publisher=Gamsberg Macmillan}}
  • Ethnologue.com's [http://www.ethnologue.com/country_index.asp?place=Africa Africa]: A listing of African languages and language families.
  • {{cite thesis |last=Gerlach |first=Linda |title=Phonetic and phonological description of the Nǃaqriaxe variety of ǂʼAmkoe and the impact of language contact |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=Humboldt University |year=2015 |location=Berlin}}
  • {{cite encyclopedia |last=Greenberg |first=Joseph H. |year=1983 |title=Some areal characteristics of African languages |editor-first=Ivan R. |editor-last=Dihoff |encyclopedia=Current Approaches to African Linguistics |series=Publications in African Languages and Linguistics |volume=1 |location=Dordrecht |publisher=Foris |pages=3–21}}
  • {{cite book |last=Greenberg |first=Joseph H. |year=1966 |title=The Languages of Africa |edition=2nd |location=Bloomington |publisher=Indiana University}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last1=Heine |editor-first1=Bernd |editor-last2=Nurse |editor-first2=Derek |year=2000 |title=African Languages: An Introduction |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last1=Webb |editor-first1=Vic |editor2=Kembo-Sure |year=1998 |title=African Voices: An Introduction to the Languages and Linguistics of Africa |location=Cape Town |publisher=Oxford University Press Southern Africa}}
  • {{cite journal| last=Westphal |first=E.O.J. |year=1963 |title=The Linguistic Prehistory of Southern Africa: Bush, Kwadi, Hottentot, and Bantu Linguistic Relationships |journal=Africa |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=237–265 |doi=10.2307/1157418|jstor=1157418 |s2cid=143635864 }}

External links

  • [http://www.mofeko.com/ one of the largest online resources for African languages] at Mofeko
  • [http://kasahorow.org African language resources for children] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803022422/http://www.kasahorow.org/ |date=3 August 2015 }}
  • [http://www.africanlanguages.com/ Web resources for African languages]
  • [http://www.muturzikin.com/carteafrique.htm Linguistic maps of Africa from Muturzikin.com]
  • [http://www.ilissafrica.de/en/als/iliss-advanced.html?query=&tt=&kw=&sbj=0700300&geo=&res=3020&search=1 Online Dictionaries], [http://www.ilissafrica.de/en/als/iliss-advanced.html?query=&tt=&kw=&sbj=0700300&geo=&res=6082&search=1 e-books] and other [http://www.ilissafrica.de/en/als/iliss-advanced.html?query=&tt=&kw=&sbj=0700300&geo=&res=6170&search=1 online fulltexts] in or on African languages

{{Navboxes

|list =

{{Languages of Africa}}

{{Africa topics}}

{{Countries and languages lists}}

{{Niger-Congo branches}}

{{Nilo-Saharan families}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Languages Of Africa}}