Where Is Hausa Spoken?
Diversity in Africa:
Africa is home to thousands of different languages and cultures. The diversity is not limited to one country or region of Africa. Everywhere you turn, you can different ethnic groups practicing their ancient religions and following unique customs. But the majority of Africa’s languages and cultures remain undiscovered and unstudied. Since the languages of the world are disappearing at an alarming rate, it is up to us to study them. We must protect the ancient and unique languages of the world before they disappear. Africa can be a good place to start for the linguists who want to study various forgotten languages.
The Hausa People:
The largest ethnic group in the Sub Saharan Africa is of the Hausa people. They are the native speakers of the Hausa language. They live in southern Niger and northern Nigeria. They have a homogenous culture. Their communities can be found throughout West African territories. Located in northern Nigeria, the Daura city is the cultural center of these people. The Hausa people share ethnic similarities with a few other groups that can be found in Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Mali.
The Hausa Language:
Hausa is the most spoken indigenous language in the African continent. It has 80 million native speakers. It is also spoken by at least 20 million people as their second language. But sadly, this vernacular is not that popular in the world. Even the people who know of it, don’t know where is Hausa spoken. Hausa is an Afroasiatic language which is primarily spoken in the Republic of Niger and Nigeria. The speakers of the vernacular can also be found in Ghana, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Cameroon. It is the mother tongue of the Hausa people.
The vernacular belongs to the West Chadic subgroup of the Afroasiatic language family. It has borrowed words from various Benue-Congo languages. It used to be written in the Ajami Arabic script in the past. Today, it is written in a Latin alphabet which was modified to suit the needs of the speakers of this tongue. The official language of Nigeria is English but it is Hausa which is spoken by the majority of the population. In Niger, French enjoys the official status, and Hausa is recognized as a regional language. The majority of Hausa speakers are Muslims. It is the lingua franca among the Sahelian/Muslim West Africans.
Influences on the Language:
Since Islam is the religion of the majority of Hausa speakers, Arabic has had a huge influence on it. The most prominent way in which Arabic has changed this language can be seen in its pronunciation. Other regional languages that have influenced Hausa are Soninke, Zarma, Jula-Bambara, and Akan. Hausa has taken many loanwords from English, like every other language of the world.
Dialects of Hausa:
Since the language is spoken all throughout Central Africa, it has many dialects. There is a different kind of dialect in every city where the vernacular is spoken. The popular northern dialects are Arewa and Arewaci. Western dialects are spoken in Sokoto, Katsina, Gobir, and Adar. The dialect spoken in Sokoto is considered the Classical Hausa.
Although the language structure remains the same for the most part, the native pronunciation changes in every region. This is why the Hausa of Cameroon is different from the dialects spoken in Niger and Nigeria. The dialect variation increases with distance.
Translations of Hausa:
If a company from the United States wants to expand into Africa, they will need translations of their advertisements and important documents into all the major languages. A European business will have to do the same even if English is spoken by a significant percentage of people in Africa. French is also one of the major languages in Africa, but it is the native tongues that are given preference by the people of the continent. This is why a business cannot succeed if it doesn’t get translations in the right tongue.
When it comes to Hausa, it is important to remember that the variety spoken in the Nigerian city of Daura will be different from Ghanaian Hausa. Nonnatives will not be able to understand the language structure of Hausa. They won’t be able to keep up with all of its varieties. Since it is a tonal language, native pronunciation is also very important. This is why only native language experts should be hired to translate into the language. A company that wishes to impress the people of the Hausaland should find qualified linguistic experts.
There are various Chadic languages that are spoken in the world and each of them is equally unique. But if you want to attract the people of the Hausaland, you can’t hire a native translator of France of Germany. You also cannot hire an African without confirming that they know the target language well. Since the end of the twentieth century, the internet has become a powerful resource in our hands. You can easily hire a language service provider through the internet. But it is important to make the right choice.
