Languages of Togo
Togo is a multilingual country, which according to one count has 44 languages spoken.[1] The official language is French. Two indigenous languages were designated politically as national languages in 1975: Ewé (Ewe: Èʋegbe) and Kabiyé.
| Languages of Togo | |
|---|---|
| Official | Fante, Togolese |
| Regional | Government-sponsored languages:Fante, Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Ewe, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme, Ga, Gonja, Kasem, Nzema |
| Immigrant | Chinese, Arabic,Yoruba Japanese |
| Foreign | English French Spanish Arabic Portuguese |
| Signed | (American Sign Language) |
| French English | |
Map showing the distribution of the various Gbe languages. (after Capo 1988, 1991)
The two national languages tend to be used regionally with Ewé used in the south from Lomé to Blitta, and Kabiyé from Blitta to Dapaong in the north.
Language policy
The decision to give Ewé and Kabiyé status as national languages was decided in 1975 by President Eyadéma
References
- Le français au Togo: une aventure ambigüe, Isabelle Anzorge, Université Nice, 1998.
- Ethnologue, "Languages of Togo" (accessed Oct. 31, 2010)
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.