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Critical Analysis, Introduction and Classification of African Languages and Literature

Have you ever listened to the speech of people from a neighbouring town of yours? Can you understand or speak the language they speak? Is it similar or different from yours? If you are born in any one of the countries of Africa, you are likely to be amazed about the different languages of people. This section will examine and focus on different languages of and in Africa, the typologies or classification of the languages and dialects by language experts. Africa, as a continent, has more than 50 countries (54) with diverse languages, some indigenous to her and some adopted as a result of colonisation and some of these languages are used as lingua franca for commerce, trade and official transaction. According to Wikipedia (2018), Africa is the world’s second largest by geographical area and second most populous continent in the world. It is said to have between 1250-3000 native languages. At the end of this study session, you will be able to: i. Define language ii. Identify major African Languages iii. Explain major African languages iv. Describe the major and minor African Languages v. List the common dialects in Africa vi. List 5 official languages of Africa vii. Identify the locations and countries where the official languages are spoken viii. Mention Anglophone African countries ix. Enumerate Francophone African Countries x. Isolate Lusophone (Portuguese) Countries in Africa