Languages of Nigeria

Languages of Nigeria
A map of languages in Nigeria and neighbouring countries
OfficialEnglish
NationalHausa, Igbo, Yoruba
RegionalIbibio, Efik, Isoko, Edo, Tiv, Fulani, Idoma, Ijaw, Kamwe, Kanuri, Ukwuani, Urhobo, Nupe, Gbagyi
VernacularNigerian Pidgin
ForeignArabic, French
Signed
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There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria.[1][2][3] The official language and most widely spoken lingua franca is English,[4][5] which was the language of Colonial Nigeria. Nigerian Pidgin – an English-based creole – is spoken by over 60 million people.[5][6]

The major native languages, in terms of population, are Hausa (over 63 million when including second-language, or L2, speakers), Yoruba (over 47 million, including L2 speakers), Igbo (over 31 million, including L2 speakers), Ibibio (over 10 million, including L2 speakers), Ijaw cluster (over 5 million), Fulfulde (13 million), Kanuri (4.6 million), Tiv (5 million), and approximately 2 to 3 million each of Nupe, Karai-Karai Kupa, Kakanda, Edo, Igala, Mafa, Idoma and Efik.[7] Nigeria's linguistic diversity is a microcosm of much of Africa as a whole, and the country contains languages from the three major African language families: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan and Niger–Congo. Nigeria also has several as-yet unclassified languages, such as Centúúm, which may represent a relic of an even greater diversity prior to the spread of the current language families.[8]

  1. ^ "Language data for Nigeria". Translators without Borders. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  2. ^ "Nigeria". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  3. ^ Blench, Roger (2014). An Atlas Of Nigerian Languages. Oxford: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  4. ^ "Language data for Nigeria". Translators without Borders. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  5. ^ a b "Nigeria: languages by number of speakers 2021". Statista. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  6. ^ "Africa: Nigeria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  7. ^ "Nigeria". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  8. ^ Adeleke, Dr Wale. "Languages of Nigeria - Regions". NaijaSky. Retrieved 2020-05-27.