Niger–Congo languages

E8177

The Niger–Congo languages form one of the world’s largest language families, encompassing hundreds of related languages spoken across much of sub-Saharan Africa, including major groups like Bantu.

All labels observed (18)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (80)

Predicate Object
instanceOf language family
macrofamily
approximateNumberOfSpeakers over 700 million
continent Africa
estimatedNumberOfLanguages over 1500
glottologCode nige1235
hasAlternativeName Niger–Kordofanian languages
hasWritingSystem Arabic script
Latin alphabet
surface form: Latin script
includesLanguage Akan
Bambara
Chichewa
Ewe
Fula
Igbo
Kikuyu
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Lingala
Luganda
Sesotho
Setswana
Shona
Swahili language
surface form: Swahili

Wolof
Xhosa
Yoruba
Zulu
isOneOfLargestLanguageFamilies true
majorSubgroup Adamawa–Ubangi languages
Niger–Congo languages self-linksurface differs
surface form: Atlantic–Congo languages

Bantu languages
Benue–Congo languages
Gur languages
Kordofanian languages
Kwa languages
Mande languages
morphologyFeature noun class system
primaryRegion Sub-Saharan Africa
surface form: sub-Saharan Africa
spokenIn Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde Islands
surface form: Cape Verde

Central African Republic
Chad
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Côte d'Ivoire
surface form: Ivory Coast

Kenya
Liberia
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Republic of the Congo
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
São Tomé and Príncipe
Tanzania
The Gambia
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
typology mostly SVO word order
mostly tonal languages

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (823)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Northern Gbaya languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Nawuri people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
subject surface form: Nawuri language
Mawu people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Attié people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Chikaranga languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Bijagó people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Zezuru people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Banda-Linda ethnic group languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Soga language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Nyoro language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Haya language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Baka language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Gbaya people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
AbaBemba languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ruhaya languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Kiga language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Grebo people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Namwanga people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Luchazi language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Luvale language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Langbas languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Banda-Langbasi languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Banda-Kpagwa languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
dyo languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Mano (Mah) languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
subject surface form: Mano language
Banda-Linda people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Soninké languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Logba people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Shai people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Lorma people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Gio languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Mano languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Wee people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Susu language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Baga languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Gworam language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Mossi people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Kisii people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Tsaangi languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Teke-Ngungwel language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Teke-Ibali language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Kwere people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Wanzi people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Mpongwe people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Lui languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Enuani dialect languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ukwuani people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ijesha dialect of Yoruba languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ijesha cultural area languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Akan unified orthography languageFamily Niger–Congo languages