Languages of Africa
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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,<ref>Template:Harvcoltxt</ref> and by some counts at over 3,000.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to SIL Ethnologue),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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:
- Niger–Congo, which include the large Atlantic-Congo and Bantu branches in West, Central, Southeast and Southern Africa.
- Afroasiatic languages are spread throughout Western Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and parts of the Sahel.
- Saharan, Nilotic and Central Sudanic languages (previously grouped under the hypothetical Nilo-Saharan macro-family), are present in East Africa and Sahel.
- Austronesian languages are spoken in Madagascar and parts of the Comoros.
- Khoe–Kwadi languages are spoken mostly in Namibia and Botswana.
- Indo-European languages, while not indigenous to Africa, are spoken in South Africa and Namibia (Afrikaans, English, German) and are used as lingua francas in Liberia and the former colonies of the United Kingdom (English), former colonies of France and of Belgium (French), former colonies of Portugal (Portuguese), former colonies of Italy (Italian), former colonies of Spain (Spanish) and the current Spanish territories of Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands and the current French territories of Mayotte and La Réunion.
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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The African Union declared 2006 the "Year of African Languages".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Language groups
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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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Afroasiatic languages
[edit]Template:Main 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed
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.Template:Citation needed
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.Template:Citation needed
Niger–Congo languages
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The Niger–Congo languages constitute the largest language family spoken in West Africa and perhaps the world in terms of the number of languages.Template:Citation needed 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
[edit]Several languages spoken in Africa belong to language families concentrated or originating outside the African continent.
Austronesian
[edit]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
[edit]Afrikaans is Indo-European, as is most of the vocabulary of most African creole languages. Afrikaans evolved from the Dutch vernacular<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Heese1971">Template:Cite book</ref> of South Holland (Hollandic dialect)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite CiteSeerX</ref> 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.<ref name="coetzee">Template:Cite book</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Gabon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Template:Further 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:
- possibly Afroasiatic: Ongota, Gomba
- possibly Nilo-Saharan: Shabo
- possibly Niger–Congo: Jalaa, Mbre, Bayot
- unknown: Laal, Mpre
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)<ref name="HombertPhilippson">Template:Cite book</ref> 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:
- Aasax or Aramanik (Tanzania) (South Cushitic? contains non-Cushitic lexicon)
- Imeraguen (Mauritania) – Hassaniyya Arabic restructured on an Azêr (Soninke) base
- Kara (Fer?) (Central African Republic)
- Oblo (Cameroon) (Adamawa? Extinct?)
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):<ref name="Vossen">Template:Cite book</ref>
Sign languages
[edit]Template:See also 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
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Official languages
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| Template:Legend | Template:Legend |
| Template:Legend | Template:Legend |
| Template:Legend | Template:Legend |
| Template:Legend | Template:Legend |
- Afroasiatic
- Berber (Amazigh):
- Standard Moroccan Amazigh in Morocco
- Standard Algerian Berber in Algeria<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Tamasheq in Mali<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Tawellemet in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Chadic:
- Cushitic:
- Semitic:
- Amharic in Ethiopia
- Arabic in Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania,<ref>CIA – The World Factbook.</ref> Morocco, Somalia,<ref name="Charter">According to article 7 of The Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic Template:Webarchive: "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".</ref> Sudan, Tunisia and Zanzibar (Tanzania)
- Hassaniya Arabic in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Tigrinya in Ethiopia and Eritrea
- Austronesian
- Ngbandi creole
- Sango in the Central African Republic
- French Creole
- Indo-European
- Afrikaans in South Africa
- English in Ghana, Gambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa, Liberia, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Namibia, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Mauritius.
- French in Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, and Togo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Portuguese in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
- Spanish in Equatorial Guinea<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Niger-Congo
- Bambara in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Bobo in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Bozo in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Chewa in Malawi and Zimbabwe
- Comorian in the Comoros
- Dogon in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Fula in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Kassonke in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Kongo in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo
- Kinyarwanda in Rwanda
- Kirundi in Burundi
- Maninke in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Minyanka in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Senufo in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Sesotho in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe
- Setswana in Botswana and South Africa
- Shona, Sindebele in Zimbabwe
- Sepedi in South Africa
- Soninke in Mali<ref name=":0" />
- Ndebele in South Africa<ref>"The languages of South Africa" Template:Webarchive. southafrica.info.</ref>
- Swahili in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda
- Swati in Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa
- Tsonga in South Africa
- Venda in South Africa
- Xhosa in South Africa
- Zulu in South Africa
- Nilo-Saharan
| Language | Family | Official status per country |
|---|---|---|
| Afar | 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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | |
| 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 | 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
[edit]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.<ref>African languages for Africa's development Template:Webarchive ACALAN (French & English).</ref>
Language change and planning
[edit]Language is not static in Africa any more than on other continents.Template:Citation needed 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
[edit]Template:Further Of the 1 billion Africans (in 2009), about 17 percent speak an Arabic dialect.Template:Citation needed About 10 percent speak Swahili,Template:Citation needed the lingua franca of Southeast Africa; about 5 percent speak a Berber dialect;Template:Citation needed 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
French, English, and Portuguese are important languages in Africa due to colonialism. About 320 million,<ref>327 millions de francophones dans le monde en 2023 odsef.fss.ulaval.ca (in French)</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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
[edit]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
[edit]Some widespread phonetic features include:
- certain types of consonants, such as implosives (Template:IPA), ejectives (Template:IPA), the labiodental flap and in southern Africa, clicks (Template:IPA, Template:IPA). True implosives are rare outside Africa, and clicks and the flap almost unheard of.
- doubly articulated labial-velar stops like Template:IPA and Template:IPA are found in places south of the Sahara.
- prenasalized consonants, like Template:IPA and Template:IPA, are widespread in Africa but not common outside it.
- sequences of stops and fricatives at the beginnings of words, such as Template:IPA, Template:IPA and Template:IPA.
- nasal stops which only occur with nasal vowels, such as Template:IPA vs. Template:IPA (but both Template:IPA and Template:IPA), 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
[edit]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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Semantic
[edit]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.Template:Fact
Demographics
[edit]The following is a table displaying the number of speakers of given languages within Africa:
| Language | Family | Native speakers (L1) | Official status per country |
|---|---|---|---|
| ǂKxʼaoǁʼae | Kxʼa | 5,000 (2003)<ref>International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: AAVE-Esperanto. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. 2003. p. 363. Template:ISBN</ref> | Native to Namibia and Botswana |
| ǂʼAmkoe | Kxʼa | 20–50 Western ǂʼAmkoe (2015)
unknown number Eastern ǂʼAmkoe<ref>Gerlach (2015: 14–15)</ref> |
Native to Botswana |
| Abon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 800 (1990)<ref name=":3" /> | Native to Cameroon |
| Abron | Niger–Congo | 1,393,000 (2013)<ref>Abron at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast |
| Acheron | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 20,000 (2006)
9,800 in home area (2006)<ref>Acheron at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Sudan |
| Adara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 300,000 (2011)<ref>Adara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Afar | Afroasiatic | 2,500,000 (2019–2022)<ref>Afar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
</ref>|| Official in Ethiopia Recognised minority language in Djibouti and Eritrea, Native to Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia | |
| Afrikaans | Indo-European | 7,200,000 (2011)<ref name="statssa-2011-language-1">Template:Cite book</ref> | National language in Namibia, co-official in South Africa |
| Aghem | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 27,000 (2000)<ref>Aghem at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Aiki | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 19,000 Kibet (1983)
43,000 Runga (1993–1996)<ref>Kibet at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Runga at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Chad and Central African Republic |
| Aja | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 200 (1993)<ref>Aja at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to South Sudan and Central African Republic |
| Aka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,000 (1986–1996)<ref>Aka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic and Republic of Congo |
| Akan | Niger–Congo | 8,900,000 (2013)<ref>Akan at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Abron at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Wasa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref>|| None. Government sponsored language of Ghana | |
| Ambo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000 or fewer (undated)<ref>Ambo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Amdang | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 170,000 (2024)<ref>Amdang at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Chad and Sudan |
| Ambele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,000 (2005)<ref>Ambele at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Amharic | Afroasiatic | 35,000,000 (2020)<ref>Amharic at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Ethiopia |
| Amira | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,100 (1984)<ref>Amira at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Anaang | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,900,000 (2020)<ref>Anaang at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Áncá | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 300 Áncá (2006)<ref>Áncá (?) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Asoa | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 26,000 (2000)<ref>Asoa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Atsam | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,000 (1982)<ref>Atsam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Arabic | Afroasiatic | 150,000,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but with separate mutually unintelligible varieties | Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Tunisia |
| Aringa | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 495,000 (2014)<ref>Aringa at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Uganda |
| Avokaya | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 100,000 (1989–2017)<ref>Avokaya at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Awing | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 19,000 (2001)<ref>Awing at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Baba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2005)<ref>Baba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Babanki | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 39,000 (2011)<ref>Babanki at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Baca | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,500 (2007)<ref>Baca at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bacama | Afroasiatic | 300,000 (2020)<ref>Bacama at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Bade | Afroasiatic | 360,000 (2020)<ref>Bade at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Baka | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 60,000 (2017)<ref>Baka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Barambu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 26,000 (1990)<ref>Barambu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bariba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,100,000 (1995–2021)<ref>Bariba at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Recognized in Benin
Native to Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo |
| Bala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 60,000 Lobala (2000)<ref>Lobala at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref>
21,000 BokoTemplate:Date missing<ref>Iboko at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Balo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,200 (2000)<ref>Balo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bamali | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,800 (2008)<ref>Bamali at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bambara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,200,000 (2012)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Official in Mali |
| Bambassi | Afroasiatic | 2,300 (2011)<ref>"Màwés Aasʼè". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-01</ref> | Native to Ethiopia |
| Bambalang | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 29,000 (2008)<ref>Bambalang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bamukumbit | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000 (2008)<ref>Bamukumbit at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bamum | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 420,000 (2005)<ref>Bamum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Bamwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 20,000 (1983)<ref>Bamwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bangala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | A fewTemplate:Date missing<ref>Bangala at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) </ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo |
| Bangi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 120,000 (2000)<ref>Bangi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Moi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bangolan | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 14,000 (2011)<ref>Bangolan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bassari | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 31,000 (2017)<ref>Basari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Guinea and Senegal |
| Baṭḥari | Afroasiatic | 16 (2016)<ref>Bathari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Oman |
| Batu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000Template:Date missing<ref name=":4" /> | Native to Nigeria |
| Bebe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,600 (2008)<ref>Bebe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Beba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2002)<ref>Beba’ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Beli | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 65,000 (2009) | Native to South Sudan |
| Bemba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,100,000 (2000–2010)<ref>Bemba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Recognized minority in Zambia
Native to Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, andTanzania |
| Bembe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (2007)<ref>Bembe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Republic of Congo |
| Bembe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 250,000 in DRC (1991)<ref>Bembe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Mwenga Lega at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo andTanzania |
| Berber | Afroasiatic | 16,000,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (estimated) (including separate mutually unintelligible varieties) | Morocco, Algeria |
| Berta | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 380,000 (2006–2007)<ref>Berta at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
</ref> |
Native to Sudan and Ethiopia |
| Besme | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,200 (1993)<ref name=":7">Besme at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Bhaca | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to South Africa |
| Bhojpuri | Indo-European | 65,300 (2011)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Native to Mauritius |
| Bina | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,000 (2000)<ref>Bina at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Binza | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (1986)<ref>Binza at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Birri | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 200 (1996)<ref>Birri at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Biseni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,800 (1977)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Bissa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 590,000 (1999–2003)<ref>Bissa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo |
| Bitare | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 52,000 (2000–2003)<ref>Bitare at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Bobo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 340,000 (1995–2021)<ref>Southern at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
Northern at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> |
Native to Burkina Faso and Mali |
| Bole | Afroasiatic | 250,000 (2023)<ref>Bole at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Bole | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,000 (2004)<ref>Bole at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Republic of Congo |
| Bolon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 23,000 (1998)<ref>Bolon at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Bomboli–Bozaba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1983–1986)<ref>Bomboli at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021)
Bozaba at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021) </ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bomboma | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 23,000 (1983)<ref>Bomboma at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bomitaba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 9,800 (2000)<ref>Bomitaba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Republic of Congo and Central African Republic |
| Bomu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 320,000-380,000 (1991-2022)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Mali |
| Bongili | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000 (2018)<ref>Bongili at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Republic of Congo |
| Bongo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 21,000 (2017)<ref>Bongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Bonjo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000Template:Date missing<ref>Bonjo at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) </ref> | Native to Republic of Congo |
| Bono | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,400,000 (2013)<ref>Abron at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast |
| Bono | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200,000 (2006)<ref>Tangale at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Boon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 60 (2000)<ref>Boon at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Somalia |
| Boko | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (2012)<ref>Boko at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Benin, Nigeria |
| Boze | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to Nigeria |
| Bozo | Mande | 230,000 (apart from Tieyaxo) in Mali (2003–2009)<ref>Hainyaxo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Tiemacèwè at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Tiéyaxo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Jenaama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Spoken in Mali |
| Bube | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 51,000 (2011)<ref>Bube at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Bubia (Wovea) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Recognized minority in Equatorial Guinea and Bioko Island
Native to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon |
| Budza | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 230,000 (1985)<ref>Budza at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Tembo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Buli | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 170,000 (2013)<ref>Buli at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Bukusu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,400,000 (2009)<ref>Bukusu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Kenya |
| Bulu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 860,000 (2007)<ref>Bulu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Bum | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 21,000 (2001)<ref>Bum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Buru–Angwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000 speakers of Buru; potentially substantially more of Angwe (uncited)<ref>Buru–Angwe at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Busa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 110,000 (2012)<ref>Busa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Busa-Bokobaru at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Benin, Nigeria |
| Bushong | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 160,000 (2000)<ref>Bushong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Buu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100–200 (2012)<ref>Pierpaolo Di Carlo & Jeff Good (2012) What are we trying to preserve? Diversity, change, and ideology at the edge of the Cameroonian Grassfields</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Buyu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (2002)<ref>Buyu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Bwela | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,400 (2002)<ref>Bwela at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Caka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,000 (1983)<ref>Caka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Cape Verdean Creole | Portuguese Creole | 871,000 (2017)<ref>Cape Verdean Creole at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) </ref> | National language in Cape Verde |
| Cebaara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 860,000 (1993)<ref>Cebaara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> |
Native to Ivory Coast |
| Central Banda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 580,000 (1984–1996)<ref>Banda-Bambari at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Banda-Banda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Banda-Mbrès at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Banda-Ndélé at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Togbo-Vara Banda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mid-Southern Banda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan |
| Chewa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,000,000 (2007)<ref>Mikael Parkvall, "Världens 100 största språk 2007" (The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007), in Nationalencyklopedin</ref> | Malawi, Zimbabwe |
| Chopi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,100,000 (2017)<ref>Chopi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Mozambique |
| Chung | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,400 (2001)<ref>Chung at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Comorian | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,100,000 (2007-2011)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Comoros |
| Dagaare | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,300,000 (1999–2021)<ref>Southern Dagaare at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
Dagaari Dioula at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Northern Dagara at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> |
Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Ivory Coast |
| Dagbani | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,200,000 (2013)<ref>Dagbani at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Ghana, Togo |
| Dangme | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,020,000 (2013)<ref>Dangme at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Ghana |
| Daza | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 700,000 (2019–2021)<ref>Daza at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)</ref> | Native to Chad and Niger |
| Dciriku | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 82,000 (2004–2018)<ref>Dciriku at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Namibia, Botswana and Angola |
| Dendi | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 440,000 (2000-2021)<ref>Dendi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Benin, Niger, and Nigeria |
| Dengese | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,600 (2000)<ref>Dengese at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Defaka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200 (2001)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Spoken in Nigeria |
| Dinka | Nilo-Saharan | 4,238,400 (2007)<ref>Dinka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | South Sudan |
| Djimini | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 96,000 (1993)<ref>Djimini at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Spoken in Ivory Coast |
| Doghose | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 20,000 (1991)<ref>Dogosé at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Dogoso | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 9,000 (1999)<ref>Dogoso at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | 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)<ref>Dyula at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ivory Coast |
| Dzando | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,000 (1983)<ref>Dzando at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Dzodinka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,600 (2000)<ref>Dzodinka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Ebira | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,200,000 (2020)<ref>Ebira at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Ekoka ǃKung | Kxʼa | 16,500 (2013)<ref name=":2">Ekoka ǃKung at Ethnologue (24th ed., 2021) </ref> | Native to South Africa, Namibia, and Angola |
| Eman | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 800 (1990)<ref>Eman at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| English | Indo-European | 6,500,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (estimated) | See List of countries and territories where English is an official language |
| Esimbi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 34,800 (2005)<ref>Esimbi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Eton | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,500,000 (2020)<ref>Eton at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Mengisa (duplicate code) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Evant | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (1996)<ref name=":5">Evant at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Ewondo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 580,000 (1982)<ref>Ewondo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Fang | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000,000 (2006–2013)<ref>Fang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | 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)<ref>Fang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Fanji | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 17,000 (2008)<ref>Fanji at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Farefare | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 660,000 (1991–2013)<ref>Farefare at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana |
| Feʼfeʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 140,000 (2005)<ref>Feʼfeʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Fio | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown but extant (2011-2015)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Fon | Niger–Congo | 2,300,000 (2019–2021)<ref>Fon at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Benin |
| Fongoro | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | a few elders (2007)<ref>Fongoro at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| French | Indo-European | 1,200,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (estimated) | See List of territorial entities where French is an official language and African French |
| Fulani | Niger–Congo | 67,000,000 (2014–2021)<ref name="ReferenceA">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) </ref>|| 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)<ref>Fungor at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Fur | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 790,000 (2004–2023)<ref>Fur at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Chad and Sudan |
| Furu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 16,000 (1984–1996)<ref>Furu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Fut | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (2009)<ref>Bafut at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Fwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000Template:Date missing<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Namibia and Zambia |
| Gǀui | Khoe–Kwadi | 1,500 (2013)<ref>Gǀui at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Botswana |
| Ga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 745,000 (2016)<ref>Ga at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Ghana |
| German | Indo-European | National language of Namibia, special status in South Africa | |
| Gendza | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 43,000 (1986)<ref>Gendza at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | 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)<ref>Geme at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Ghomalaʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 350,000 (2005)<ref>Ghomala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Gikuyu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,100,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Spoken in Kenya |
| Goundo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30 (1998)<ref>Goundo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Chad |
| Gourmanché | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,500,000 (2012–2021)<ref>Gourmanchéma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo |
| Gumuz | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 160,000 in Ethiopia (2007)
88,000 in Sudan (2017)<ref>Gumuz at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Spoken in Ethiopia and Sudan |
| Gwari | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,840,000 (2020)<ref>Gbagyi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
Gbari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> |
Native to Nigeria |
| Gyong | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2000)<ref>Gyong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Hakaona | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to Angola and Namibia |
| Hanga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,800 (2003)<ref>Hanga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Ḥarsusi | Afroasiatic | 600 (2011)<ref>Harsusi at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) </ref> | Native to Oman |
| Hassaniya Arabic | Afroasiatic | 5,200,000 (2014–2021)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Mali, Recognized in Morocco |
| Hausa | Afroasiatic | 54,000,000 (2021–2023)<ref>Hausa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Recognized in Nigeria, Ghana, and Niger |
| Heiban | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,000 (1984)<ref>Heiban at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Hendo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (1982)<ref>Hendo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Herero | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 250,000 (2015–2018)<ref>OvaHerero at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Namibia, Botswana and Angola |
| Hindi | Indo-European | Spoken in Mauritius | |
| Hlubi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to South Africa |
| Hõne | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,000 (1999)<ref>Hõne at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Hun-Saare | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 73,000 (1985)<ref>Us-Saare at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Ut-Hun at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Nigeria |
| Humburi Senni | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 81,000 (1999–2021)<ref>Humburi Senni at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)</ref> | Spoken in Burkina Faso, and Mali |
| Hyam | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 300,000 (2014)<ref>Hyam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Ibibio | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,300,000 (2020)<ref>Ibibio at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Iceve-Maci | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000 (1990)<ref>Ceve at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Idun | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 78,000 (2012)<ref>Idun at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Igala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,600,000 (2020)<ref>Igala at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Igbo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 31,000,000 (2020)<ref>Igbo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Ik | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 14,000 (2014)<ref>Ik at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Uganda |
| Ila | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 106,000 (2010)<ref>Ila at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Sala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Zambia |
| Imraguen | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 530 (2006)<ref>"Language Representative Counts". Retrieved 2023-09-01.</ref> | Native to Mauritania |
| Ipulo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,500 (1990)<ref>Ipulo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Isu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000 (1993)<ref>Isu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Iyive | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,000 (1996)<ref>Iyive at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Izon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,400,000 (2020)<ref>Izon at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Spoken in Nigeria |
| Italian | Indo-European | Recognized in Eritrea and Somalia | |
| Jagham | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 120,000 (2000)<ref>Ekoi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Jahanka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (2017–2022)<ref>Jahanka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Guinea |
| Jarawa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 250,000 (2006–2011)<ref>Zhár (Bankal) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Zugur (Duguri) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mbat (Bada) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Gwak (Gingwak) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required</ref> |
Native to Nigeria |
| Jelkung | Afro-Asiatic | 1,300 (2000)<ref>Jelkung at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Jiba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,000 (1977)<ref>Jiba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Jju | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 600,000 (2020)<ref>Jju at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Juǀʼhoan | Kxʼa | 4,000 (2003)<ref>Güldemann, Tom (2003). "Khoisan Languages". International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Vol. 1: AAVE-Esperanto. Oxford University Press. p. 362. Template:ISBN</ref> | Native to Namibia and Botswana |
| Juba Arabic | Arabic-based creole | 250,000 (2020)<ref>Juba Arabic at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Jukun Takum | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,400 (2000)<ref>Jukun at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Jur Modo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 180,000 (2017)<ref>Jur Modo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Kabalai | Afro-Asiatic | 18,000 (1993)<ref>Kabalai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Kadugli | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 75,000 (2004)<ref>Kadugli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> |
Native to Sudan |
| Kamara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2003)<ref>Kamara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana |
| Kanga | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 17,000 (2022)<ref>Kanga at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Kalabari | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 258,000 (2006)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Kalenjin | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 6,600,000Template:Citation needed | Native to Kenya and Uganda |
| Kanembu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 880,000 (2019)<ref>Kanembu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Old Kanembu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Chad |
| Kantosi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,300 (2020)<ref>Kantosi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana |
| Kanuri | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 9,600,000 (1993–2021)<ref>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) </ref> |
Native to Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria |
| Kar | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 40,000 (1995)<ref>Kar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Karanga | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 10,000 (1999)<ref>Karanga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Kasena | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 250,000 (1998–2004)<ref>Kasena at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana |
| Kassonke | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,500,000 (2009–2022)<ref>Kassonke at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Recognized in Mali |
| Katla | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 Julud (2009)<ref>Katla at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref>
Possibly 14,000 Katla (1984)<ref>Katla language at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)</ref> |
Native to Sudan |
| Keiga | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 6,100 (1984)<ref>Keiga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Kemezung | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,540 (2008)<ref>Kemezung at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Kendeje | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 1,900 (2000)<ref>Kendeje at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Kele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 14,000 (2000–2007)<ref>West Kele, Bubi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Ngom at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon |
| Kele-Foma | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 160,000 (1980)<ref>Kele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Foma at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Keliko | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 42,500 (1989–2018)<ref>Keliko at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Kelo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 200 (2009)<ref>Kelo at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Kgalagadi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 65,400 (2015)<ref>Kgalagadi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Botswana |
| Khwe | Khoe–Kwadi | 8,000 (2011)<ref>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.</ref> | Native to Namibia, Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia |
| Khoekhoe | Khoe–Kwadi | 200,000 ± 10,000 (2011) | National language of Namibia |
| Ki | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 26,000 (1982)<ref>Ki at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Leti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mengisa (duplicate code) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Kim | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000 (1993)<ref>Kim at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Kimbundu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,700,000 (2015)<ref>Kimbundu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Angola |
| Kinyarwanda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000,000 (2014–2024)<ref>Kinyarwanda at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Rwanda |
| Kirundi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 13,000,000 (2021)<ref>Rundi at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Burundi |
| Kisi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000 (2012)<ref>Kisi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Tanzania |
| Kissi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 910,000 (2017–2020)<ref>Southern Kissi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Northern Kissi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone |
| Kita Maninka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 449,000 (2001-2014)<ref>Kita Maninka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Recognized in Mali |
| Kituba | Kongo-based creole | 13,000,000 (2018–2022)<ref>Kituba (RC) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Kituba (DRC) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref>|| Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo | |
| Koalib | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (2009)<ref>Koalib at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Korandje | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 3,000 (2010)<ref>Korandje at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Algeria |
| Koro Wachi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (2006–2012)<ref>Ashe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Begbere-Ejar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Nigeria |
| Kom | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 210,000 (2005)<ref>Kom at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Komo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 10,000 in Sudan (1979)<ref>Komo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> 8,500 in Ethiopia (2007)<ref>Ethiopia 2007 Census</ref> |
Native to Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia |
| Kongo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,000,000 cited 1982–2021)<ref>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) </ref>|| Angola, recognised national language of Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo | |
| Konkomba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 920,000 (2012–2013)<ref>Konkomba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Ghana and Togo |
| Konni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,800 (2003)<ref>Konni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Koshin | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2011)<ref>Koshin at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Koyra Chiini | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 200,000 (1999)<ref>Koyra Chiini at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> |
Native to Mali |
| Koyraboro Senni | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 430,000 (2007)<ref>Koyraboro Senni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> |
Native to Mali |
| Kulango | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 470,000 (2021)<ref>Bouna at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Bondoukou at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast |
| Kunda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 160,000 (2000)<ref>Kunda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique |
| Kusaal | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 121,000 (2021 census)<ref>Kusaal at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo |
| Kusu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 26,000 (1971)<ref>Kusu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Kresh | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 16,000 including Dongo (2013)<ref>Kresh at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Krio | English Creole | 860,000 (2021)<ref>Sierra Leonean Creole at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sierra Leone |
| Krongo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 54,000 (2022)<ref>Krongo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Kuba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,000 (2000)<ref>Kuba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Kuk | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (1993)<ref>Kuk at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Kukelle | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 180,000 to 200,000 (2011)<ref>Kele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Kunama | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 180,000 (2022)<ref>Kunama at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Eritrea, and Ethiopia |
| Kung | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12Template:Date missing<ref>Kung at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Kurama | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 40,000 (2000)<ref>Kurama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Kuranko | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 670,000 (2017–2021)<ref>Kuranko at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Guinea and Sierra Leone |
| Kuvale | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 70,000 (2015)<ref>Kuvale language at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) </ref> | Native to Angola |
| Kwaʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000 (2000)<ref>Kwaʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Kwala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 45,000 (2000)<ref>Kwala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Republic of the Congo |
| Kwama | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 15,000 (2015)<ref>Kwama at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Native to Ethiopia |
| Kwambi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 33,000 (2006)<ref>Kwambi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Namibia and Angola |
| Kwangali | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 152,000 (2018)<ref>"Kwangali". Ethnologue. Retrieved 15 August 2018.</ref> | Native to Namibia and Angola |
| Kwangwa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,400 (2010)<ref>Luyana at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia |
| Kwanyama | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 670,000 (1993-2006)<ref>Kwanyama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Namibia and Angola |
| Kyenga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000 (1995–2012)<ref>Kyenga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Benin and Nigeria |
| Kyoli | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,000-8,000 (2020)<ref>Decker, Ken, John Muniru, Julius Dabet, Benard Abraham and Jonah Innocent. 2020. A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Kyoli (Cori) [cry] Language of Kaduna State, Nigeria. SIL Electronic Survey Reports.</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Lala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown but extant (1999)<ref>"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.</ref> | Native to South Africa |
| Lala-Bisa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 350,000 (2010)<ref>Lala-Bisa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Lamba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200,000 (2010)<ref>Lamba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Laimbue | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,000 (1994)<ref>Laimbue at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Laro | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 40,000 (2010)<ref>Laro at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Lega | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 450,000 (1982–2000)<ref>Shabunda Lega at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Mwenga Lega at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Kanu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Kwami at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Lele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 26,000 (1971)<ref>Lele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Lendu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 760,000 (1996)<ref>Lendu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Lenje | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 130,000 (2010) | Native to Zambia |
| Leti | Niger–Congo (Probable) | "small population" (2014)<ref>Leti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Mengisa (duplicate code) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Lia-Ntomba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200,000 (1980-2000)<ref>Ntomba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Bolia at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ligbi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 19,000 (1991–2003)<ref>Ligbi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Limba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,200 (2001)<ref>Limba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Limba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 520,000 (1993-2019)<ref>"Limba, East". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
"Limba, West-Central". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.</ref> |
Native to Guinea and Sierra Leone |
| Limbum | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 130,000 (2005)<ref>Limbum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Lingala | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 21,000,000 (2021)<ref>Lingala at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | National language of Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo |
| Lobedu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000,000 (estimated)<ref>Cohen, C (1968). Rider Haggard: His life and works. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Template:ISBN.</ref> | Native to South Africa |
| Logol | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 13,000 (2022)<ref>Logol at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Loki | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,200Template:Date missing<ref>Loki at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) </ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Londo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (1983)<ref>Londo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Lorhon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1991–1999)<ref>Lorhon at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast |
| Losengo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 67,000 (1983–2002)<ref>Losengo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Boloki at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Ndolo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Lozi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 725,000 (1982–2010)<ref>Lozi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe |
| Luganda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,600,000 (2014)<ref>Ganda at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Uganda |
| Lugbara | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 1,600,000 (2014)<ref>Lugbara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Southern Ma'di at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Kuhane | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 45,000<ref>Kuhane at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia |
| Luhya | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,800,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Spoken in Kenya |
| Lumun | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000 (2014)<ref>Lumun at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Luo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 4,200,000 (2009)<ref>Luo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Kenya, Tanzania |
| Luyana | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,380 (2010)<ref>Luyana at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Zambia |
| Maba | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 570,000 (2019)<ref>Maba at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Ma'di | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 310,000 (1982–2002)<ref>Ma'di at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Uganda and South Sudan |
| Mada | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (not counting Nunku) (1993)<ref>Mada at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Malagasy | Austronesian | 18,000,000<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref> | Madagascar |
| Marfa | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 5,000 (1999)<ref>Marfa at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native in Chad |
| Marka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 190,000 (2009–2014)<ref>Marka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Spoken in Burkina Faso |
| Mama | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,000–3,000 (2001)<ref>"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-07. Retrieved 2015-02-20.</ref> | 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)<ref>Mandinka at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
</ref> |
Recognized in Senegal |
| Mangbetu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 662,000 (1985)<ref>Mangbetu at Ethnologue (13th ed., 1996).
Lombi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Maninka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,600,000 (2012–2021)<ref>Konyanka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Eastern Maninkaka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Sankaran Maninkaka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Manya (Liberia) at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Wojenaka (Odienné Jula) at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Spoken in Nigeria |
| Mankon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 19,000 (2002)<ref>Mankon at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Manta | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,300 (2001)<ref>Manta at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Áncá (?) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Masaba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,700,000 (2002 & 2009)<ref name=":6">Masaba (Gisu, Kisu, Dadiri, Buya) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Bukusu (Tachoni) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Tachoni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Kenya |
| Masalit | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 410,000 (2019–2022)<ref>Masalit at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Massalat at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> |
Native to Chad and Sudan |
| Mashi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 22,000 (2000–2010)<ref>Mashi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Kwandu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Zambia and Angola |
| Massa | Afro-Asiatic | 340,000 (1982–2019)<ref>Massa at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon and Chad |
| Mauritian Creole | French Creole | 1,100,000 (2016)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Native to Mauritius |
| Mbamba Bay | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,000 (2004)<ref>Mwera at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Tanzania |
| Mbandja | Ubangian | 360,000 (2000)<ref>Mbandja at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic |
| Mbati | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 60,000 (2010)<ref>Mbati at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Mbe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 65,000 (2011)<ref>Mbe at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Mbəʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,500 (2000)<ref>Mbəʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbessa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2020)<ref>Mbessa at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbili-Mbui | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (1983)<ref>Mbili-Mbui at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbowe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 460 (2010)<ref>Mbowe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbre | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50 (2017)<ref>Mbre at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Ivory Coast |
| Mbuʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200 (2011)<ref>Mbuʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbuk | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 600 (2020)<ref>Mbuk at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbuko | Afro-Asiatic | 15,000 (2008)<ref>Mbuko at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mbukushu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 95,000 (2020)<ref name=":1">Mbukushu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | National language in Namibia and Native to Angola, Botswana, and Zambia |
| Mbwasa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown<ref>Blench, Roger, 2011. The membership and internal structure of Bantoid and the border with Bantu. Bantu IV, Humboldt University, Berlin.</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Medumba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 210,000 (1991)<ref>Medumba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mehri | Afro-Asiatic | 230,000 (2020) | Native to Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia |
| Menchum | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2000)<ref>Menchum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mendankwe-Nkwen | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 28,000 (2005)<ref>Mendankwe-Nkwen at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mengaka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 20,000 (1993)<ref>Mengaka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Menyam | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,000 (1994)<ref>Bamenyam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mesaka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 14,000 (1982)<ref>Mesaka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mfumte | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,700 (1982-2000)<ref>Mfumte at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Fum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Kwaja (East Mfumte) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Minyanka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 740,000 (2000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Mali |
| Missong | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 400 (2012)<ref>Pierpaolo Di Carlo & Jeff Good. 2012. What are we trying to preserve?: Diversity, change, and ideology at the edge of the Cameroonian Grassfields</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mmen | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 35,000 (2001)<ref>Mmen at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mmuock | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to Cameroon |
| Moba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 440,000 (2004–2012)<ref>Moba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Bimoba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo |
| Moro | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 79,000 (2022)<ref>Moro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Morokodo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 3,400 (2011)<ref>Morokodo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Nyamusa-Molo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mo’da (Gberi) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mittu (extinct) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to South Sudan |
| Moru | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 230,000 (2017)<ref>Moru at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Mossi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000,000 (2012–2022)<ref>Mooré at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Recognised regional language in Burkina Faso |
| Mono | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 65,000 (1984)<ref>Mono at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Mongo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 400,000 (1995)<ref>Mongo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Yamongeri at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Mooré | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000,000 (2012–2022)<ref>Mooré at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Official in Burkina Faso
Native to Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Togo, Niger, and Senegal |
| Mundabli | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 500 (2011)<ref>Mundabli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Mündü | Ubangian | 26,000Template:Date missing<ref>Mündü at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | 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)<ref>Di Carlo, Pierpaolo; Good, Jeff (30 October 2014). Endangered Languages. British Academy.</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Munka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 31,000 (2008)<ref>Munka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Nabit | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,000 (estimated) (2015)<ref>Naden, Tony (2014-11-08). "Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639: nbz" (PDF). SIL International.</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso, Ghana |
| Nafanan | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 89,000 (2017)<ref>Nafaanra at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Ghana and the Ivory Coast |
| Nambya | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (2000–2004)<ref>Nambya at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Native to Zimbabwe |
| Nancere | Afroasiatic | 144,000 (2019)<ref>Nancere at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Chad |
| Nanerigé | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (1985)<ref>Nanerigé at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Naro | Khoe–Kwadi | 9,000 (2011-2014)<ref>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.</ref><ref>Naro at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Botswana and Namibia |
| Nateni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 110,000 (2021)<ref>Nateni at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Benin |
| Naki | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (1993)<ref>Naki (Cameroon) at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
Bukwen at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Mashi at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) </ref> |
Native to Cameroon, Nigeria |
| Ntcham | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 390,000 (2004–2013)<ref>Ntcham at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
Akaselem at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> |
Native to Ghana and Togo |
| Ndaʼndaʼ | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (1990)<ref>Ndaʼndaʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ndau | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,400,000 (2000–2006)<ref>Ndau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Zimbabwe |
| Ndebele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,100,000 (2011)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Statutory national language in South Africa |
| Ndemli | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 10,000 (1999)<ref>Ndemli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Nding | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 400 (2020)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Ndombe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 22,300 (2000)<ref>Ndombe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Angola |
| Ndonga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 810,000 (2006)<ref>Ndonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Namibia and Angola |
| Ndolo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1983)<ref>Ndolo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ndrulo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 110,000 (2014–2018)<ref>Ndrulo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native language of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Ndzerem | Niger–Congo (Probable) | <1,000Template:Date missing<ref>Roger Blench & Cameron Hamm (n.d.) The Nun Languages of the Grassfields of Cameroon</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ngaʼka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (1982)<ref>Ngaʼka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ngambwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to Angola |
| Ngando | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,000 (1996)<ref>Ngando at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Ngangam | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 200,000 (2012–2021)<ref>Ngangam at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Benin and Togo |
| Ngbundu | Ubangian | 16,000 (1984)<ref>Ngbundu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ngelima | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 14,000 (2000)<ref>Ngelima at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ngiemboon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 250,000 (2007)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ngile | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 39,000 (2024)<ref>Ngile at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Ngiri | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 80,000 (2000–2002)<ref>Loi (Baloi) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Likila (Balobo) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Ndobo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mabaale at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ngiti | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 100,000 (1991)<ref>Ngiti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ngondi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2004)<ref>Ngondi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Republic of Congo |
| Ngomba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 63,000 (1999)<ref>Ngomba or Nguemba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ngombale | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 53,500 (2005)<ref>Ngombale at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ngombe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (1971)<ref>Ngombe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ngwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 73,000 (2001)<ref>Ngwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Nigerian Pidgin | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,700,000Template:Date needed<ref>Nigerian Pidgin at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Ninzo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 35,000 (1973)<ref>Ninzo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Nkoroo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,500 (1989)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Nkumbi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (1996)<ref>Nkumbi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Angola |
| Nkutu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 40,000 (1972)<ref>Nkutu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Nsei | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2008)<ref>Nsei at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Nsenga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 600,000 in Zambia and Mozambique (2006 – 2010)
16,000 in Zimbabwe (1969)<ref>Nsenga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Phimbi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Zambia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe |
| Nso | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 240,000 (2005)<ref>Nsɔ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Noni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (2005–2008)<ref>Noone at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Ncane at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon |
| Noon | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 33,000 (2007)<ref>Noon at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref> | Official in Senegal |
| Northern Ndebele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,600,000 (2023)<ref>Ndebele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in Zimbabwe |
| Northern Sotho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,700,000 (2011)<ref>Northern Sotho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) [2011 Census) (subscription required)
</ref>|| Official in South Africa | |
| Nubi | Arabic-based creole | 50,000 (2014-2019)<ref>Nubi Arabic at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Uganda, Kenya |
| Nuer | Nilo-Saharan | 1,700,000 (2007–2017)<ref>Nuer at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to South Sudan and Ethiopia |
| Numana | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (2008)<ref>Numana at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Nupe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,800,000 (2020)<ref>Nupe at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Nyaneka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 300,000 to 1.2 millionTemplate:Date missing (before 1996)<ref>Nyaneka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Angola |
| Nyanga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (1994)<ref>Nyanga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Nyankpa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 70,000 (2012)<ref>Nyankpa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Nyarafolo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 60,000 (2009)<ref>Nyarafolo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ivory Coast |
| Nyungwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 490,000 (2017)<ref>Nyungwe at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Mozambique |
| Nzakara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (1996)<ref>Nzakara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Okodia | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,600 (1977)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Oku | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 87,000 (2005)<ref>Oku at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Ombo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,400 (2002)<ref>Ombo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Omi | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 91,000 (2005)<ref>Omi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Osatu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 400 (2002)<ref>Osatu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Oluʼbo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 33,000 (2017)<ref>Oluʼbo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to South Sudan |
| Opuo | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 20,000 (2014–2019)<ref>Opuuo at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
</ref> |
Native to Ethiopia and South Sudan |
| Oromo | Afroasiatic | 37,071,900 (2020) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Official in Ethiopia
Recognized minority in Kenya Native to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia |
| Oruma | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,000 (1995)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Otank | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 15,000 (2006)<ref>Otank at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Otoro | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 17,000 (2023)<ref>Otoro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Ovambo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,441,000 (1990)<ref>Kwanyama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Ndonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Kwambi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Mbalanhu (Central Wambo) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Ngandjera at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Angola and Namibia |
| Palaka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1995)<ref>Palaka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ivory Coast |
| Paleni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 260 (2012)<ref>Paleni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Pambia | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 21,000 (1982)<ref>Pambia at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Pande | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,870 (2010)<ref>Pande at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Phuthi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 20,000 (1999)<ref>Swati at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)</ref><ref>Donnelly 1999:114–115.</ref> | Native to Lesotho and South Africa |
| Pichinglis | English Creole | 6,000 (2011)<ref>Pichinglis at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Bioko and Equatorial Guinea |
| Pinyin | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2001)<ref>Pinyin at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Piti | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,100 (2013)<ref>Piti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Niger |
| Portuguese | Indo-European | 17,000,000<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 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)<ref>Rigwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Niger |
| Ronga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 720,000 (2006)<ref>Ronga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Mozambique and South Africa |
| Saari | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,600 (2008)<ref>Saari at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Saba | Afroasiatic | 1,300 (2000)<ref>Saba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Saho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 180,000 (2007–2022)<ref>Saho at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Eritrea and Ethiopia |
| Samo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 230,000 (1995–1999)<ref>Matya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Maya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Southern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Burkina Faso and Mali |
| Samwe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,500 (1993)<ref>Samwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Sakata | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 75,000 (1982)<ref>Sakata at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Saya | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 300,000 (2013)<ref>Saya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Niger |
| Sekele | Kxʼa | 20,000 (2013–2019)<ref>Sekele at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Ekoka ǃKung at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> |
Native to Namibia, Angola |
| Sena | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,869,000 (2017–2020)<ref>Mozambiquean Sena at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
Malawian Sena at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Barwe at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref>|| Official in Zimbabwe Recognized in Malawi Native to Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe | |
| Senara | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 210,000 (1995–2010)<ref>Senara at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Mali |
| Sengele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 17,000 (2002)<ref>Sengele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Sepedi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,700,000 (2011)<ref>Northern Sotho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) [2011 Census] (subscription required)</ref> | Official in South Africa |
| Sesotho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,600,000 (2001–2011)<ref>Sotho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe |
| Setlôkwa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown (Possibly ~670,000) | Native to Lesotho and South Africa |
| Seychellois Creole | French Creole | 73,000 (1998)<ref>Seychellois Creole at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in Seychelles |
| Shabo | Language isolate or possible Nilo-Saharan | 400 (2000)<ref>Shabo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ethiopia |
| Shanjo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 4,400 (2010)<ref>Tonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia |
| Shi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 660,000 (1991)<ref>Shi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Nyindu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Shona | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,400,000 (2012–2017)<ref>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) </ref>|| Official in Zimbabwe Recognized minority in Mozambique | |
| Shwai | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,500 (1989)<ref>Shwai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Sighu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,000 (1990)<ref>Sigu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Gabon |
| Simaa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 17,000 (2010)<ref>Simaa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia |
| Sinyar | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 33,000 (2023)<ref>Sinyar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Chad |
| Siwu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 27,000 (2003)<ref>Siwu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Somali | Afroasiatic | 21,937,940<ref name="eth">Template:Cite web</ref> | Official in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya
Recognized minority in Kenya |
| Soninke | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,300,000 (2017–2021)<ref>Soninke at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
</ref> |
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)<ref>Soli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Zambia |
| Sotho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,600,000 (2001–2011)<ref>Sotho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Lesotho, South Africa, and Zimbabwe |
| South Banda | Ubangian | 200,000 (1996)<ref>South Central Banda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Langbashe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Southeast Ijo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 72,000 (1977)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Southern Birifor | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 190,000 (2017)<ref>Southern Birifor at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Ghana and Ivory Coast |
| Suba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 140,000 (2009)<ref>Suba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Kenya |
| Suba-Simbiti | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 110,000 (2011)<ref>Suba-Simbiti at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Tanzania |
| Sucite | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 38,000 (1999–2007)<ref>Siccité at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Suku | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 50,000 (1980)<ref>Suku at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Sukur | Afroasiatic | 15,000 (1992)<ref>Sukur at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Supyire | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 460,000 (1996–2007)<ref>Supyire at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Mali |
| Sumayela Ndebele | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown but extant<ref>Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
</ref><ref>Skhosana, Philemon Buti (2009). The Linguistic Relationship between Southern and Northern Ndebele (PDF) (DLitt thesis). University of Pretoria. hdl:2263/28563</ref><ref>"SiNdebele saseNyakatho". Northern Ndebele. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2019-09-30.</ref><ref>"South African Languages | Northern Ndebele". Salanguages.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.</ref> |
Native to South Africa |
| Susu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,400,000 (2017–2019)<ref>Susu at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Bissau |
| Suwu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | "few" (2007)<ref>Suwu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Spanish | Indo-European | 1,100,000 (2018)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 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)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Native to Niger |
| Southern Ndebele | Niger–Congo | 1,100,000 (2011)<ref>Ndebele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in South Africa |
| Surbakhal | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 7,900 (2000)<ref>Surbakhal at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Chad |
| Syer-Tenyer | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 30,000 (1991)<ref>Syer-Tenyer at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) (Paywalled)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Swahili | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,300,000 (2019–2023)<ref>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) </ref>|| Official in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Swazi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,300,000 (2013–2019)<ref>Swazi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Official in South Africa, Swaziland |
| Taa | Tuu | 2,500 (2011)<ref>Taa at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) </ref> | Native to Botswana and Namibia |
| Tadaksahak | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 170,000 (2022)<ref>Tadaksahak at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
</ref> |
Native to Mali and Niger |
| Tagdal | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 65,000 (2021)<ref>Tagdal at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
</ref> |
Native to Niger |
| Tagoi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 29,000 (2022)<ref>Tagoi at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | 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)<ref>ISO change request</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso and Ghana |
| Tamil | Dravidian | Native to Mauritius | |
| Tasawaq | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 21,000 (2021)<ref>Tasawaq at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
</ref> |
Native to Niger |
| Teda | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 130,000 (2020–2024)<ref>Teda at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Chad, Libya, and Niger |
| Tegali | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 110,000 (2022)<ref>Tegali at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Tegem | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,100 (1984)<ref>Tegem at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Telugu | Dravidian | Native to Mauritius | |
| Tembo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 150,000 (1994)<ref>Tembo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Tetela | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 760,000 (1991)<ref>Tetela at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Hamba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Tigrinya | Afroasiatic | 9,700,000 (2022)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Official in Eritrea and Ethiopia |
| Tikar | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 110,000 (2005)<ref>Tikar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Tiro | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 34,000 (2022)<ref>Tiro at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Tima | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,300 (2000)<ref>Tima language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Tiv | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,200,000 (2024)<ref>Tiv at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Tocho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,700 (2013)<ref>Tocho at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Tondi Songway Kiini | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 3,000 (1998)<ref>Tondi Songway Kiini at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
</ref> |
Native to Mali |
| Tonga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,500,000 (2001–2010)<ref>Tonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Dombe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref>|| Official in Zimbabwe Recognized minority in Zambia | |
| Tonga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 330,000 (2017)<ref>Tonga at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Mozambique |
| Tonga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 165,000 (2018)<ref>Tonga at Ethnologue (23th ed., 2020) (subscription required)</ref> | Recognized minority language in Malawi |
| Totela | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,220 (2010)<ref>Totela at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Namibia and Zambia |
| Tsamai | Afroasiatic | 18,000 (2007)<ref>Tsamai at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Ethiopia |
| Tsotsitaal and Camtho, aka Iscamtho | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 500,000 (estimated)<ref>Tsotsitaal at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Camtho at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016) </ref> |
Native to South Africa |
| Tshiluba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 6,300,000 (1991)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | National language of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Tsonga or Xitsonga | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,700,000 (2006–2011)<ref>Tsonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Recognized minority in Mozambique Native to Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe |
| Tshivenda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,300,000 (2011)<ref>TshiVenda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in South Africa and Zimbabwe |
| Tswa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,200,000 (2006)<ref>Tswa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Mozambique |
| Tswana | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 5,800,000 (2015)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Official in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Recognized minority in Namibia Native to Botswana and South Africa |
| Tulishi | Nilo-Saharan | 2,500 (2007)<ref>Tulishi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Tumbuka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,100,000 (2024)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Recognized minority language in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia |
| Tumtum | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 17,000 (2022)<ref>Tumtum at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Twi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 630,000Template:Citation needed | Regional language in Ghana |
| Tyap | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 875,000 (2020)<ref>Tyap at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Uduk | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 22,000Template:Date missing (presumably after 2005)<ref>Uduk at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)
</ref> |
Native to Sudan and South Sudan |
| Umbundu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,000,000 (2018)<ref>Umbundu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Official in Angola |
| Venda | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,300,000 (2011)<ref>TshiVenda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Official in South Africa, Zimbabwe
Native to South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe |
| Vengo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 27,000 (2008)<ref>Vengo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Viemo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1995)<ref>Viemo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Burkina Faso |
| Viti | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown (one village)<ref>"Viti". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-08-12.</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Vori | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 3,000 (2016)<ref>Vori at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Voro | Niger–Congo (Probable) | Unknown | Native to Nigeria |
| Wannu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | a few thousand (1998)<ref>Wannu at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) </ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Wali | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 85,000 (2013)<ref>Wali at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Ghana |
| Wali | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 9,000 (2007)<ref>Wali at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Sudan |
| Wapan | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 100,000 (1994)<ref>Wapan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Weh | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 8,000 (1993)<ref>Weh at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Werni | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,100 (1956)<ref>Werni at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Sudan |
| West Banda | Ubangian | 7,500 (1982–1996)<ref>West Banda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic and South Sudan |
| Wolof | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,100,000 (2020–2021)<ref>Wolof at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Gambian Wolof at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> |
Lingua franca in Senegal |
| Wongo | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 13,000 (2000)<ref>Wongo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Wushi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 27,000 (2008)<ref>Vengo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Nshi (?) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Cameroon and possibly Nigeria |
| Xhosa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 7,600,000 (2013)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> | Official in South Africa, Zimbabwe
Recognized minority in Botswana Native to South Africa and Lesotho |
| Yamba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 80,000 (2000)<ref>Yamba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon and Nigeria |
| Yangere | Ubangian | 27,000 (1996)<ref>Yangere at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic |
| Yalunka | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 181,000 (2002–2017)<ref>Yalunka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Guinea |
| Yela-Kela | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 213,000 Kela (1972-1977)<ref>Kela at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Yela at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> |
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Yemba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 500,000 estimated (2023)<ref>Yemba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Yeyi | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 55,000 (2001)<ref>Yeyi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Namibia and Botswana |
| Yobe | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 22,000 (1991–2012)<ref>Miyobe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Benin and Togo |
| Yoruba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 45,000,000 (2021)<ref name="ReferenceA"/> | Nigeria, Benin, Togo |
| Yulu | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 13,000 (1987–2011)<ref>Yulu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan |
| Zaghawa | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 450,000 (2019–2022)<ref>Zaghawa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)</ref> | Native to Chad and Sudan |
| Zande | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 1,800,000 (1996–2017)<ref>Zande at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan |
| Zarma | Nilo-Saharan (Probable) | 6,000,000 (2021)<ref>Zarma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) </ref> | Native to Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria |
| Zemba | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 25,000 (2011-2016)<ref>Zemba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) </ref> | Native to Angola and Namibia |
| Zhire | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 11,000 to 15,000 (2021)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Native to Nigeria |
| Zhoa | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 2,000 (1995)<ref>Zhoa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)</ref> | Native to Cameroon |
| Zulu | Niger–Congo (Probable) | 12,000,000 (2013–2017)<ref name=":4">Zulu at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) </ref> | South Africa |
By region
[edit]Below is a list of the major languages of Africa by region, family and total number of primary language speakers in millions.
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See also
[edit]General
[edit]Works
[edit]Classifiers
[edit]- Karl Lepsius
- Lionel Bender
- Wilhelm Bleek
- Christopher Ehret
- Carl Meinhof
- Diedrich Westermann
- Joseph Greenberg
Colonial and migratory influences
[edit]- Arabization
- Asian Africans
- Dutch Language Union
- French West Africa
- German colonization of Africa
- Islamization of Egypt
- Italian East Africa — including Italian Ethiopia
- Italian North Africa
- North African Arabs
- Maghrebi Arabic — via Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
- Portuguese language in Africa — predominant in Portuguese-speaking African countries
- Spanish Guinea — presently Equatorial Guinea
- Spanish West Africa
- Spanish North Africa
- West African Pidgin English
- White Africans of European ancestry
Notes
[edit]Template:ReflistTemplate:Reflist
References
[edit]- Template:Cite book
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- Ethnologue.com's Africa: A listing of African languages and language families.
- Template:Cite thesis
- Template:Cite encyclopedia
- Template:Cite book
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- Template:Cite journal