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What are the main languages of Africa?

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The principal linguistic families of Africa are now generally said to be Afroasiatic ; Niger-Kordofanian (including Niger-Congo); Nilo-Saharan; and Khoisan, or Click; two other stocks, Indo-European and Malayo-Polynesian , are also represented. Niger-Kordofanian and Nilo-Saharan are two large families of languages spoken exclusively in Africa. These languages are spoken in all parts of the continent, from the extreme south up to the territory of the Afroasiatic languages of N Africa. The Afroasiatic family is also spoken in the Middle East. Some authorities believe that the languages spoken in the Niger-Kordofanian and Nilo-Saharan families are sufficiently similar to suggest that both stocks had the same ancestor language.

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Similar questions: What African languages share a common ancestor language? What languages are spoken in all part of the African continent? What are the principal linguistic families of Africa? [ Hide these questions ]

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