Hausa
About Hausa
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Introduction to Hausa Language
What is Hausa & Where is It Spoken
Hausa is a Chadic language in the Afro-Asiatic family. Its “heartland” lies in northern Nigeria and southern Niger, but it is also widely used as a lingua franca across many West and Central African countries: in Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, parts of Chad, and even in diaspora communities.
Number of Speakers
Estimates vary depending on how “native” vs “second-language” speakers are counted. As a first language, Hausa has tens of millions of speakers, and when second-language speakers are included, the figure rises further. Many sources cite 40–50 million total.
Other Features
Hausa is tonal (tone helps distinguish meaning). It follows a subject–verb–object (SVO) order. In writing, there are two main scripts: Boko (Latin alphabet-based) for most media, formal education, print, etc., and Ajami, an adapted Arabic script, often used historically, for religious literature, poetry, etc.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hausa-language?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausa_language?utm_source=chatgpt.com
