Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Niger-Congo

Niger-Congo

8.2
A large family of languages spoken across much of Africa south of the Sahara, like Swahili and Yoruba
  • noun
  • /ˈnaɪdʒər ˈkɒŋɡoʊ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : niger-congoleño
  • Many languages, such as Swahili and Zulu, are part of the Niger-Congo family, which is widely spoken in sub-Saharan Africa.

Examples

  • These factors are implicated in making Nalu, Mbulungish, and Mboteni, as well as other languages in the Atlantic language group, virtually undocumented and understudied relative to other languages in the Niger-Congo language family.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The Dangme, like their Ga neighbors, speak a language belonging to the eastern Kwa family of the Niger-Congo linguistic stock (Westermann 1970; Kropp-Dakubu 1982).

    Academic text (1991)

  • Language affiliations, such as Kwa (Niger-Congo), are based on Greenberg 1966 and Fivaz and Scott 1978.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Researchers have documented over 1,500 languages within the Niger-Congo family, making it one of the largest language families in the world.

  • The Niger-Congo languages are known for their rich use of tonal distinction, which can change the meaning of words.

Synonyms

Niger-Kordofanian
vsNiger-Congo
  • Archaic
9.9

A group of languages spoken across much of Africa south of the Sahara

lists the same languages by West, Central, and Southern Africa regions
Niger-Kordofanian language
vsNiger-Congo
  • Archaic
9.8

A family of languages spoken in parts of Africa south of the Sahara, including Swahili and Fula

focuses on regional distribution across West, Central, and Southern Africa

Surface Forms

Niger-Congo singular
Niger-Congo languages plural

Morphology

Niger-Congo = Niger + Congo (semi-transparent) = Niger + Congo

Formed by compounding two place names; the components are clear, but the specialized meaning 'a language family' is a conventional label not directly deducible by all learners.

Etymology

Niger-Congo comes from the names of two great African rivers, the Niger and the Congo, and linguists used those river names to label a family of languages spoken around them, so Niger-Congo means the large group of sub-Saharan African languages.