Introduction
This contribution assesses the state of language and literacy studies in Africa. It traces the extent and record of African scripts and debates issues of literacy development in African societies. It poses questions regarding the challenges ahead in literacy enhancement on the continent, and initiates the discussion with an examination of the question of numbers of African languages.
Early Developments
The issue of how many languages exist in Africa, is a complex consideration. Estimates vary very widely. They range from Lord Hailey's figure of 700 to Grimes's figure quoted by UNESCO of “about 2000” (Grimes, 2000; Hailey, 1938, p. 68). Gregersen wrote that, “the nearly 300 million people in Africa speak something over 1000 languages—with only about 40 spoken by more than a million people. Language communities with 1000 or fewer speakers are not rare, and at least 20 languages are reported with fewer than 100 speakers” (Gregersen, 1977, p. 200). Heine notes “the...
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Prah, K.K. (2008). Language, Literacy and Knowledge Production in Africa. In: Hornberger, N.H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30424-3_33
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