IX.

Other Language Families

Two other language families, Indo-European and Austronesian, are represented to some degree in Africa. Malagasy, the language of the island of Madagascar, is a member of the Austronesian group. The Indo-European group includes Afrikaans and English, both native to many people in the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe. English is also indigenous to Liberia, having been introduced there by repatriated American blacks in the 19th century. While indigenous languages are spoken across Africa, many African countries have European languages (relics of colonialism) as their official language, used in business, education, governmental institutions, and other official domains.

Before 1959, academic involvement in African language studies was confined to a very few universities in England and Europe. Since then, a number of American universities, as well as the Foreign Service Institute of the United States Department of State, have begun teaching and research programmes focused on African languages. In London, England, The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has the largest group of scholars in Europe dedicated to the study of African languages and culture. With less emphasis on the implications of scientific linguistics for teaching and research, a number of other universities and colleges around the world offer practical instruction in a single African language, often Swahili.

Selected statistical data from Ethnologue: Languages of the World, SIL International.