Where did the Niger-Congo language family originated?

West Africa
The language family most likely originated in or near the area where these languages were spoken prior to Bantu expansion (i.e. West Africa or Central Africa). Its expansion may have been associated with the expansion of Sahel agriculture in the African Neolithic period, following the desiccation of the Sahara in c.

How old is the Niger-Congo language family?

The earliest evidence of a Niger-Congo language dates back to Portuguese records of the 16th century. However, few grammars were published prior to the 19th century although the first known grammar of an African language (Kongo) was written by an Italian missionary in 1659.

Where did the Indo_european language family originated?

Anatolia
New research links the origins of Indo-European with the spread of farming from Anatolia 8,000 to 9,500 years ago. The Indo-European languages belong to one of the widest spread language families of the world. For the last two millenia, many of these languages have been written, and their history is relatively clear.

What is the first language in Niger?

Hausa
Languages by number of speakers (according to Ethnologue)

Are the Niger-Congo languages related?

Niger-Congo languages, a family of languages of Africa, which in terms of the number of languages spoken, their geographic extent, and the number of speakers is by far the largest language family in Africa.

What language did the Khoisan speak?

The only widespread Khoisan language is Khoekhoe (also known as Khoekhoegowab, Nàmá or Damara) of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, with a quarter of a million speakers; Sandawe in Tanzania is second in number with some 40–80,000, some monolingual; and the ǃKung language of the northern Kalahari spoken by some 16,000 …

Which language family is the ultimate origin of the English language?

Indo-European
Origins and basic characteristics. English belongs to the Indo-European family of languages and is therefore related to most other languages spoken in Europe and western Asia from Iceland to India.

How many Niger Congo languages are there?

The latest estimation of the number of Niger-Congo languages is about 1,400. All of these are considered to be distinct languages and not simply dialects. The named dialects of these languages number many thousands more, not to mention the variant names for those languages and dialects.

Is the mother tongue the same as the first language?

Mother tongue is the in-born language, which a baby has already familiarized even in the gestation of mother before it was born. The first language is the language which a child acquires either through schooling or socialization, such as family.

What language Ghana speak?

English
Ghana/Official languages

What nationality is someone from Congo?

Congolese
Congolese nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or jus sanguinis, born abroad to parents with Congolese nationality….Democratic Republic of the Congo nationality law.

What are the 5 major language families in Africa?

African Languages are categorized into five major language families including Afroasiatic, Austronesian, Indo-European, Niger–Congo (Bantu and non-Bantu) and Nilo-Saharan languages.

When was the Niger Kordofanian proposal created?

In 1963, Joseph Greenberg added them to the Niger–Congo family, creating his Niger–Kordofanian proposal. The Kordofanian languages have not been shown to be more distantly related than other branches of Niger–Congo, however, and they have not been shown to constitute a valid group.

What is the difference between Kadu and Niger kordofanians?

The first four groups are sometimes regarded as branches of the hypothetical Niger–Congo family, whereas Kadu is now widely seen as a branch of the proposed Nilo-Saharan family. In 1963, Joseph Greenberg added them to the Niger–Congo family, creating his Niger–Kordofanian proposal.

What is the history of the Niger-Congo language?

The earliest evidence of a Niger-Congo language dates back to Portuguese records of the 16th century. However, few grammars were published prior to the 19th century although the first known grammar of an African language (Kongo) was written by an Italian missionary in 1659.

What are the 5 Kordofanian languages?

Kordofanian languages. The Kordofanian languages are a geographic grouping of five language groups spoken in the Nuba Mountains of the Kurdufan, Sudan: Talodi–Heiban languages, Lafofa languages, Rashad languages, Katla languages and Kadu languages.