Africa is believed to be where early humans first emerged and spread across the globe. So, it\u2019s only natural that the continent would have a rich linguistic heritage. Some of the earliest spoken tongues make up the languages in Africa.Whether you are planning a trip to the continent, want to reconnect with relatives abroad, or you are simply curious, we\u2019ll help you understand how many languages there are in Africa, provide some historical context for various cultures, and discuss the most commonly spoken languages in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Africa has 54 countries. So, you\u2019d figure there are around 50 languages, maybe 60 or 70 based on different dialects\u2026right?
Nope. Way off, actually! The African continent is home to nearly 2,000 languages, and some linguistic experts put the number closer to 3,000 if you count different dialects of the same language. The truth is, it\u2019s hard to get an exact number of how many languages there are in Africa, simply because some of them are spoken in extremely remote regions<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since a complete list of every language spoken on the African continent could easily exceed 2,500, let\u2019s look at the African languages in a different way \u2013 here\u2019s a list of some of the most spoken languages in Africa, along with a group that grew out of those languages that are now spoken throughout the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spoken in many African countries, the Swahili language has Arabic roots and began as a trading language between the Bantu people of the East African coast and traders from Arabia and Persia. You might recognize the word safari<\/em>, a Swahili word that originated from the Arabic word “safar” (\u0633\u0641\u0631), meaning “journey” or “travel.” To learn more Swahili or Arabic, check out Pimsleur\u2019s All Access subscription<\/a> which allows you to learn both at once, along with many more. If you\u2019re traveling too fast on your safari, a friend might say polepole<\/em>, which means \u201cslow down.\u201d When you get to where you\u2019re going, make sure to say jambo<\/em>, or \u201chello,\u201d and when you\u2019re ready to go, say kwa heri<\/em>, or \u201cgoodbye.\u201d If you\u2019re having trouble getting started on something daunting, it\u2019s good to remember Haba na haba hujaza kibaba<\/em>, which means \u201cLittle by little, the pot is filled.\u201d Here\u2019s an example of someone speaking Swahili:<\/p>\n\n\n\n