Africa´s international languages

Babel   Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:06 am GMT
Which is the current trend of international languages in Africa? Which is the role of Arabic, Swahili, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Afrikaans?
OïL   Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:16 am GMT
2/3 English vs. 1/3 French

Arabic and Swahili are important communication tools in their respective areas, but there all educated classes speak English and/or French.

Afrikaans and Portuguese have a merely local dimension.
Beau Geste   Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:37 pm GMT
<< 2/3 English vs. 1/3 French >>

Actually French has a stronger grip than English in Africa.

Countries that werer under British rule Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, and even Sudan integrated the teaching of French in their secondary schools. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda are planning to do the same.

There is a movement in Nigeria to make French as co-official with English while in Ghana French is widely spoken as Kfi Anan himself is fluent in it.

The teaching of English as compulsory subject in Madagascar underwent in a very painful process because it has to be approve by a referendum while the teacching of French as compulsory subject in Ghana was implemented by just the approval of the Education or Cultural Ministry.

But in Asia, English is no doubt regins supreme than any other languages including French.
Beau Geste   Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:39 pm GMT
<< 2/3 English vs. 1/3 French >>

Actually French has a stronger grip than English in Africa.

Countries that werer under British rule such as Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, and even Sudan integrated the teaching of French in their secondary schools. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda are planning to do the same.

There is a movement in Nigeria to make French as co-official with English while in Ghana French is widely spoken as Kofi Anan himself is fluent in it.

The teaching of English as compulsory subject in Madagascar underwent in a very painful process because it has to be approved by a referendum while the teaching of French as compulsory subject in Ghana was implemented by just the approval of the Education or Cultural Ministry.

But in Asia, English is no doubt regins supreme than any other languages including French.
Guest   Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:51 pm GMT
Spanish is fading in Africa because Equatorial Guinee declared French as co-official language with Spanish. In Spanish Sahara, Spanish is gradually giving way to French and in Morocco the number of Spanish speakers is dwindling.

The importance of Italian diminished too. In Libya, it's no longer an official language but it is still studied and widely spoken there. In Somalia, it's one of the languages of education, commerce, and administration and one of the international languages along with Arabic and English. In Eritrea, it's no longer studied in school but it's still widely spoken.
OïL   Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:44 pm GMT
"There is a movement in Nigeria to make French as co-official with English"

French is favoured as a primary foreign language cause it allows to communicate with neighbour states of West and Central Africa.

But there can't be any doubt Nigeria will remain predominantly English speaking. And Nigeria alone has a larger population than all former French colonies in Africa...
Guest   Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:23 pm GMT
The Italian, Portuguese and Spanish are also important in some parts of Africa:

Italian: Libya, Somalia and Eritrea.

Spanish: Canary islands, Ceuta, Equatorial Guinea, Melilla, Morocco and Western Sahara. It is studied in other African countries.

Portuguese: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. It is studied in other African countries.


At least, Spanish and Portuguese are spoken by several million people in the African Continent. These languages are studied at school or High school in several African countries.
Guest   Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:32 pm GMT
"Countries that werer under British rule such as Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, and even Sudan integrated the teaching of French in their secondary schools. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Uganda are planning to do the same".


Perhaps, but all French African Countries do the same with English. In Senegal, Congo or Togo a lot of people study English.

The problem of French is that the most important African countries speak English (Nigeria and South Africa) or Arabic (Egypt).
youth   Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:11 pm GMT
first of all Italian is dead in Africa.

It is no longer spoken in somalia, where most of the remaining speakers are found in the south. Whilst the south is in turmoil, the North is relatively stable and has a central government, where the main foreign language is English and Arabic.

Italian is no longer spoken in significant number in Eritrea or Libya, Italia is no longer taught in schools in those countries.


French is actually losing grounds to other Languages such as Arabic in countries such as Djibouti, Mauritania, Algeria etc. As these countries form stronger ties with other Arab countries, where Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is being taught as the language of communication.


Swahli is an important language in East Africa, being the spoken widely as a second language Kenya, Tanzania, parts of DR Congo, Uganda.

Therefore, whilst French might have a large population who speak it as a second language. Nevertheless, its importance as a language of commence and economic is falling in favour for Arabic, English and Swahili.


Spanish plays a minor role in Africa, Portuguese is more important where it is spoken Anglo, Mozambique etc.
Guest   Thu Jul 12, 2007 4:54 am GMT
<< French is actually losing grounds to other Languages such as Arabic in countries such as Djibouti, Mauritania, Algeria etc. As these countries form stronger ties with other Arab countries, where Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is being taught as the language of communication. >>

Then how come that the Maghrebians conduct their business and government activities in French than either MSA or Maghrebian Arabic? How come that Magrebians, Egyptians, Lebanese and Syrians use French as their lingua franca to communicate with each other?

French is not considered a foreign language in Maghreb and Lebanon. In Egypt it is taught along with English in secondary schools.

I read in Lonely Planet Book about travelling to Morocco that to the Moroccans, "The inability of the foreigners to speak French is the height of the ignorance".

French is taught in elementary levels in Magrebian countries. In fact just a few years ago, when Algeria made a move to scrap French once and for all, the educated population of that country protested and the Berbers rioted and so the move was abandoned.

<< Swahli is an important language in East Africa, being the spoken widely as a second language Kenya, Tanzania, parts of DR Congo, Uganda.

Therefore, whilst French might have a large population who speak it as a second language. Nevertheless, its importance as a language of commence and economic is falling in favour for Arabic, English and Swahili. >>

Oh come on, Swahili is declared as the official language in former British colonies like Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda to replace English. In Zambia it is fast becoming widespread. Non of the Francophone African Countries declared it as an official language. Haven't you heard that as much as possible, the use of vernacular languages in broadcasting and in formal settings are prohibited in Francophone Africa?

English is the one that is losing in Africa because in Nigeria there's a movement to make French co-official with English aide from the fact that it is compulsory in schools. In Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Sudan, Sierra Leone, and now Liberia it is taught in secondary schools. It won't be long now that Zambia Tanzania, and Uganda will do the same.

In Zimbabwe, English is fast losing prestige as what happened a few years ago that the properites of the British descent were seized. In short, there is a Anti-British sentiment that exist there. If it happens that Zimbabwe scarp English, the only language that it will choos to replace it is French because it is widely spoken in that country.

French and English are the official languages of Cameroon. But French predominates. Anglophone Cameronians always complain that French is more commonly used and most of the publications, business, and government activities are conducted in French. You can always hear French in Douala which is the heart of Anglophone Cameroon but English is seldom heard in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon and is located in Francophone part of that country.

Francophone Africa just like other French speakers have no interest in learning other languages including English.

In former Portuguese colonies of Angola, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe, French is taught in secondary schools and I don't know if English is taught too.

<< first of all Italian is dead in Africa. >>

No it's not. It is still taught and spoken in Libya and Somalia. Somalians use it as one of their languages in education, government, and business and one of their international languages along with English and Arabic.

Conclusion: It is far more likely that Anglophone Africa would shift to French than Francophone Africa shift to English.
Guest   Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:19 am GMT
Speaking of Afrikaans, it's 1 of the non-African languages that became so established in the continent. Namibians of different linguistic background use it as their lingua franca and so do the diverse people in South Africa.
Guest   Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:21 am GMT
Spanish is beign endangered by French in Morocco, Eqautorial Guinea, and Spanish Sahara but not in Canary Islands.
OïL   Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:41 am GMT
"Therefore, whilst French might have a large population who speak it as a second language. Nevertheless, its importance as a language of commence and economic is falling in favour for Arabic, English and Swahili. "

In Africa no one —even Arabs— makes business in Arabic or Swahili.
French and/or English is/are mandatory.

Is Hindi necessary for economic exchanges with India?...
No. English is.
youth   Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:00 pm GMT
what sources are you consluting Oil

<Then how come that the Maghrebians conduct their business and government activities in French than either MSA or Maghrebian Arabic? How come that Magrebians, Egyptians, Lebanese and Syrians use French as their lingua franca to communicate with each other? >

Arab Maghreb Union, is a Pan-Arab trade agreement aiming for economic and political unity in Northern Africa. consisting of :

Algeria (1989)
Libya (1989)
Mauritania (1989)
Morocco (1989)
Tunisia (1989)

and the Offical language is Arabic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Maghreb_Union

Also Algeria has removed French as an official language and is no longer part of Francophonie. But whilst french is the main language in education due to 130 years rule by France. Nevertheless, the government of Algeria is undergoing complete Arabization of the school curriculum.
Furthermore, most of the major News outlets are solely in MSA.
Therefore, French is out of favour in Algeria.


<In fact just a few years ago, when Algeria made a move to scrap French once and for all, the educated population of that country protested and the Berbers rioted and so the move was abandoned>

You are truly are stupid, the reasons the Berbers have rioted was for their own language to be recognized by the government, which its has as a national language.

Whilst French might be spoken by the educated class, the fact that there is no support from the government, where all occasions are carried out in Arabic and by the simply fact Algeria is increasing trading with its neighbors in the Maghreb and wider Arab world. Thats why is say
Arab will replace French in these part of the world.



<No it's not. It is still taught and spoken in Libya and Somalia. Somalians use it as one of their languages in education, government, and business and one of their international languages along with English and Arabic. >


As a Somali i know for a fact you are talking utter rubbish, Italian is no longer taught in Somalia. Where it was the main language in the south. However, as there are no schools or stable government in the south, it has decline where only the older generation who where educated before the civil war know how to speak it.

Arabic and English are the only major foreign Language in Somalia now, as the north Somalia, previously called British Somaliland has a stable government and a education system.

In addition, in Djibouti the importance of Arabic and English are also increasing, due to the presence USA army and also due to the large Yemeni population and increase trading with Yemen.
Babel   Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:31 pm GMT
Well, I don´t know which is the level of French in Morocco and Algeria, but I know some of them in Europe, and a lot of them don´t speak French or only a basic French. A minority speak it more or less well. (perhaps a 20% of them, but I am not sure).

Anyway, it is very interesting your point of view, youth, because you are from Africa. Thanks.