| Languages of Tanzania | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official | Swahili[1] andEnglish (de facto) |
| Regional | Arabic (inZanzibar),Chaga,Makonde,Sukama,Nyiramba,Datooga |
| Minority | ManyBantu,Cushitic andNilotic languages;Hadza,Sandawe,Omaio |
| Signed | Tanzanian sign languages |
| Keyboard layout | |
Tanzania is amultilingual country. There are many languages spoken in the country, none of which is spoken natively by a majority or a large plurality of the population.Swahili andEnglish, the latter being inherited from colonial rule (seeTanganyika Territory), are widely spoken aslingua francas. They serve as working languages in the country, with Swahili being the official national language.[1] There are more speakers of Swahili than English in Tanzania.[2]
According toEthnologue, there are a total of 126languages spoken in Tanzania. Two are institutional, 18 are developing, 58 are vigorous, 40 are endangered, and 8 are dying. There are also three languages that recently became extinct.[2]
Most languages spoken locally belong to two broad language families:Niger-Congo (Bantu branch) andNilo-Saharan (Nilotic branch), spoken by the country'sBantu andNilotic populations, respectively. Additionally, theHadza andSandawe hunter-gatherers speak languages withclick consonants, which have tentatively been classified within theKhoisan phylum (although Hadza may be alanguage isolate). TheCushitic andSemitic ethnic minorities speak languages belonging to the separateAfro-Asiatic family, with theHindustani andBritish residents speaking languages from theIndo-European family.[3]
Tanzania's various ethnic groups typically speak theirmother tongues within their own communities. The twoofficial languages,Swahili andEnglish, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with other populations. According to the official national linguistic policy announced in 1984,Swahili is the language of the social and political sphere as well as primary and adult education, whereasEnglish is the language of secondary education, universities, technology, and higher courts.[4] The government announced in 2015 that it would discontinue the use of English as a language of education as part of an overhaul of the Tanzanian school system.[5] Despite this plan, English remains the predominant language for secondary education.[6]
Additionally, severalTanzanian sign languages are used.
Major languages spoken in Tanzania include:
Languages spoken by the country's ethnic minorities include:
