Indigenous Nigeria languages are part and parcel of the Nigerian culture.
The statistic has it that Nigeria as a country boasts of more than 400 spoken indigenous languages.
A citizen of Nigeria that can not speak his own dialect apart from the central language is not regarded as a thoroughbred son of the soil.
Language is a very fascinating subject in any community, it is a way of communication between people of different backgrounds and social statuses.
The language a person speaks gives you an instant definition of the person and his/her origin
Major Nigeria Languages
Nigeria is a multilingual group of states consisting of over four hundred spoken languages From Hausa to Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Fulani, Edo, Kanuri, Efik, Fulfulde and several other in hundreds.
There are major and minor languages in Nigeria.
There are three known major languages in Nigeria and more than 390 other minor languages.
1. Igbo
2. Hausa
3. Yoruba.
Over three-quarter of the Nigerian population speak or two of these popular langauges.
The Minor Languages
There are more than 390 minor Nigerian languages and I have listed some of them below.
1. Tiv
2. Fulfulde
3. Efik
4. Ikwerre
5. Ijaw
6. Kanuri
7. Edo.
Official Languages in Nigeria
As much as many of these ethnic groups love to communicate in their respective dialect other activities involving different groups are carried on in the English language.
English is considered the official language in Nigeria and widely used for communication in the workplace and school.
In the early nineties, the British stormed the country and as our colonial masters left the language which is now the general language used in schools and public invent.
You can learn more about Nigerian colonization by the British through this fascinating and wonderful article Nigeria Colonialism By The British.
It heralds the long tale from the first exploration of the land by the likes of Richard Lemon Landers and Mungo Park to the advent of Britain, down to the 1960 day of independence.
Back to Languages Spoken In Nigeria
Now the country speaks English fluently though many do with different accents while the most spoken language remains that of the three major tribes, the Igbo Hausa and Yoruba.
The Foreign minorities speak their own specific languages with their tribesmen while also communicating in the English language with their business counterparts and other Nigerians
Do Nigerians Speak French
Aside from English, a little bit of French and Portugal’s central language Portuguese is thought in secondary schools and universities.
While they are scarcely spoken, they are also part of Nigeria languages
While the English language is regarded as the gentleman language there is also Pidgin English which is spoken on the street and market places, the Nigerian pidgin English is still normal English with a little bit of spin added to it.
While more than 400 languages are daily used for communication among different Nigerians from different ethnic groups.
It is however believed that about seven to nine other languages formally spoken in Nigeria had gone extinct.
You wouldn’t want to miss this – Interesting Facts About Nigeria – From Languages Spoken in Nigeria