Data gathered by the Latin Union, engaged to promote the cultural heritages of their 37 state members.

Data on Hausa

Alternative names: Gamberi, Afuno, Afnu, Afno, Zãgwe Mahaba, Kendyi, Hausaawaa, Abapka, Haoussa

Classification: Afro-Asian, West Chadic A1

Area: West Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria (north), Togo

Variants & dialects:

Numerous dialects: Kano, Katagum, Hadejiya, Sokoto, Gobirawa, Adarawa, Kebbawa, Zamfarawa, Katsina, Arewa… with a fair level of mutual understanding between the speakers of these different dialects.

Number of speakers: 22,000,000

Campbell (2000) counts 25 million mother-tongue speakers of Hausa, and 10 million speakers of Hausa as a second language.

Verguin (1968) only mentioned 6 million mother-tongue speakers and 3 millions using Hausa as lingua franca.

Ethnologue.com provides a global figure of 25 million.

Language status

Media/Instruction:

There are several newspapers written in Hausa, as well as a few radio programs.

Hausa is taught in the countries holding it as the official language.

Vitality & transmission:

Hausa doesn’t appear to be endangered. It is used as vehicular language is a large part of West Africa.

Historical observations

14th Century: First attestations of use.

Abundant literature.

20th Century: Latin transcription adopted at the beginning of the century.

1930: Latin transcription adopted as the official spelling.

1955: Creation of a commission for the standardization of loanword scripts.

Sources, bibliography & links for more information

VERGUIN, Joseph (1968), « La situation linguistique dans le monde contemporain », in A. Martinet (dir.), Le Langage, Encyclopédie de la Pléiade, Gallimard, pp. 1093-1143.

DGLF page on Hausa