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.

Ijaw people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Sotho subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language
Sotho languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Bulu language family Niger–Congo languages
Beti languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Beti languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Ijaw languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Igbo people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ijoid languages subfamilyOf Niger–Congo languages
Ijoid languages geneticClassification Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Ijoid languages familyColor Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Nzaman languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Bube language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Mvaï languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Atsi languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Mekè languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Oshiwambo languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ntumu languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Herero geneticClassification Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Sabaki languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Northeast Coast Bantu languages partOf Niger–Congo languages
Narrow Bantu subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Narrow Bantu hasSuperordinate Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Ndau partOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Ndau languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Lomwe languageBranch Niger–Congo languages
Bantoid languages partOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo language family
Bantoid languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Bantoid languages branchOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo language family
Swati language languageBranch Niger–Congo languages
Bassa languagePhylum Niger–Congo languages
Ghomalaʼ belongsTo Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Sotho–Tswana languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Sotho–Tswana languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Gaika dialect languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Tsonga people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Nyanja subfamily Niger–Congo languages
Tonga (Zambia) partOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Tonga languages (southern Africa) languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ewondo isPartOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Makua languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Makua languages languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Mende languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Jarawan Bantu subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Kalanga languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Ovambo languageBranch Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Ovambo lexifierFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Basotho people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Tshiphani languageBranch Niger–Congo languages
Tonga (Zimbabwe) languageFamily Niger–Congo languages