There are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria

in nigeria •  8 years ago 

There are 521 languages that have been spoken in Nigeria (nine of which are now extinct).

In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country, owing to the influence of British colonisation that ended in 1960.

Many French speakers from surrounding countries have influenced the English spoken in the border regions of Nigeria and some Nigerian citizens have become fluent enough in French to work in the surrounding countries. The French spoken in Nigeria may be mixed with some native languages but is mostly spoken like the French spoken in Benin. French may also be mixed with English as it is in Cameroon. Most of the population speaks English and their native language.


The major languages spoken in Nigeria represent three major families of languages of Africa: the majority are Niger-Congo languages, such as Igbo, Yoruba and Fulfulde; Kanuri, spoken in the northeast, primarily in Borno and Yobe State, is part of the Nilo-Saharan family; and Hausa is an Afroasiatic language.

Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages, English as the official language is widely used for education, business transactions and for official purposes. English as a first language is used only by a small minority of the country's urban elite, and it is not spoken at all in some rural areas. Hausa is the most widely spoken of the 3 main languages spoken in Nigeria itself (Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba) but unlike the Yorubas and Igbos, the Hausas tend not to travel far outside Nigeria itself.


With the majority of Nigeria's populace in the rural areas, the major languages of communication in the country remain indigenous languages. Some of the largest of these, notably Yoruba and Igbo, have derived standardised languages from a number of different dialects and are widely spoken by those ethnic groups. Nigerian Pidgin English, often known simply as 'Pidgin' or 'Broken' (Broken English), is also a popular lingua franca, though with varying regional influences on dialect and slang. The pidgin English or Nigerian English is widely spoken within the Niger Delta Regions, predominately in Warri, Sapele, Port Harcourt, Agenebode, Ewu, and Benin City.


I have included here, some links that can help to start to learn some of the Nigeria major language.

+ You can learn Yoruba here:(Yoruba Language for Beginners - Lesson 1) 


+ Learn Hausa : Lessons for Beginners 1 -24 :

 


+ Learn Igbo With Aku | Nkpuru Edemede Asusu Igbo | Part 1

 


Extra Source: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria)


Do you know of any nation that have more languages than Nigeria?


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Pretty interesting.

ok, follow back @bimbonet

sure

Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Nigeria

Really interesting post. Unfortunately I am too late so my upvote would'nt benefit you.
I really thought English is the main spoken language in your country. I was also not aware of the French influence on Nigerian English.
Language diversity is beautiful but on the other hand makes life more difficult in a united country. It is the same with the whole world. We actually need a common language, which brings me to Esperanto, the language createt more than hundred years ago. Nowadays English serves mostly as international communication tool, but Esperanto would do much better (if ie UN made the right decision). One day, I am convinced, we all will have a common auxiallary language, either a modified and simplified universal English or an artificial language like Esperanto.
Such an interesting topic! Have a nice day!
By the way, if you count Esperanto, you have one language more spoken in your country.