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.

Makua group hasLanguageBranch Niger–Congo languages
Northern Bantoid partOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Manjaco languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Balanta languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Pepel languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Papel languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
subject surface form: Papel language
Akan language partOfLanguageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Mamfe languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Mamfe languages familyColor Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Mamfe languages linguisticClassification Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Fante people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
Grassfields languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Nyang languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Nyang languages linguisticFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Tswa language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Proto-Bantu partOf Niger–Congo languages
Eastern Bantu partOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo language family
Southern Bantu languages partOf Niger–Congo languages
Ronga geneticClassification Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Potou–Tano languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
Fon language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Avatime language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Anyin language subfamilyOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Anyin language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Baoulé language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Ga language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Dangme language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Sehwi language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo language family
Sehwi language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Wasa language hasLanguageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Abé language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Abé language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Nawuri language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Foodo language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Siwu language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Tafi language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Ikposo language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Guthrie classification of Niger-Congo appliesTo Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo language family
Guthrie classification of Niger-Congo languageFamilyCovered Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Bamanankan languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Twi languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Attié language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Anii language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Bowili language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Lelemi language family Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo
Gbe languages geneticClassification Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Western Bantu languages subclassOf Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo languages
Western Bantu languages belongsToPhylum Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger-Congo language phylum
Avikam language languageFamily Niger–Congo languages
this entity surface form: Niger–Congo
Pedi people languageFamily Niger–Congo languages