The rising consciousness among sub-Saharan Africans regarding their native languages and the induction of their social values into the education system has propelled debate regarding the longevity of the apparent dominance of the English or French languages in the continent. As of now, many countries in Africa utilize English as the official language, but if the language revolutionists succeed, the entire socioeconomic scenario will heavily depend on translation services for interaction with the outside world.
The linguistic groups of Central and Western Africa lie primarily within the Niger-Congo language family. In terms of exclusive languages, this language family is the largest known. The Zulu, Yoruba, Fula, Igbo and Shona tribes of Western and Central Africa are the speakers of this language family. Zulu also happens to be one of the 11 recognized national languages of South Africa. The African dispersion has so diversely located the people that localizing or classifying languages becomes a redundant process.
Among the better-known members of the Niger-Congo language family are Swahili and Hausa. The Hausa language is predominant among the natives of Niger and Nigeria. More than 43 million speakers use this language as the primary or secondary mode of vocal and scriptural communication. The language is used for radio broadcasts by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Voice of America as well as other international radio stations. Trade relations are maintained in this language at many places within the Western provinces; hence, this language has become quite compulsory at the school level of education.
Sango, Bade, Warji, Ron, Bole are among the languages used in Central and some parts of West Africa. The Sango language was a bridge language or vehicular language among the traders who operated on the rivers of West Africa. The French colonizers made the usage of this language more prominent. Later, when the English missionaries arrived in Africa, Sango was prioritized because of its widespread acceptance among the native masses.
The tireless efforts of professional linguists in carrying out translations from a language to one of the myriad African languages are truly laudable. We are proud to be associated with such experts of these lesser-known African lexicons. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.
