Where is the Origin of Hausa Language ......

[Haleemah]

Hausa is the official language of northern Nigeria and is used throughout much of western Africa as a trade language. There are over 22 million native speakers of Hausa and over 16 million using it as a second language. These groups are spread throughout Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, the Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Libya. The Hausa literary language is marked by heavy borrowing of religious and technological terms from Arabic.

Indeed, Hausa was written using an alphabet based on Arabic until the early part of the twentieth century when it switched to a Latin based alphabet.

my comments: aint hausa like the most recognized african language ? .... I mean like -- if BBC can braodcast they ish in hausa and pay these translators big bucks then WOW !!!! Thing is where did hausa culture in itself come from ??

where did u tif dat write up from?

[Ariya]

Originally Posted by Jem

Thing is where did hausa culture in itself come from ??

Hausa language is the only one of the main languages spoken in Nigeria that has roots in the Afro-Asiatic language family (languages spoken in northern Africa and southwest Asia), while Yoruba, Igbo, and the majority of languages in southern Nigeria belong to the Niger-Congo family. Using a technique called lexicostatistics/glottochronology, which means dating the evolution of language through comparing changes in vocabulary, historians and social scientists assume that the ancestors of Hausa-speaking people came from north of the lake Chad region, probably moving further south away from the growing Sahara desert. Some Hausa myths of origin refer to stories like this, but like most myths, they're not meant to be accepted at face value.

There are also interesting cultural similarities between Hausas and northern African cultures, which are not conclusive, but suggest a relationship. These include practices like dambe boxing, which in style is very reminiscent of boxing in pharaonic Egypt and different from other west African styles or European boxing in general. Also, the music of stringed instruments like the goje resemble northern African patterns.

[Haleemah]

Originally Posted by Ariya

Hausa language is the only one of the main languages spoken in Nigeria that has roots in the Afro-Asiatic language family (languages spoken in northern Africa and southwest Asia), while Yoruba, Igbo, and the majority of languages in southern Nigeria belong to the Niger-Congo family. Using a technique called lexicostatistics/glottochronology, which means dating the evolution of language through comparing changes in vocabulary, historians and social scientists assume that the ancestors of Hausa-speaking people came from north of the lake Chad region, probably moving further south away from the growing Sahara desert. Some Hausa myths of origin refer to stories like this, but like most myths, they're not meant to be accepted at face value.

There are also interesting cultural similarities between Hausas and northern African cultures, which are not conclusive, but suggest a relationship. These include practices like dambe boxing, which in style is very reminiscent of boxing in pharaonic Egypt and different from other west African styles or European boxing in general. Also, the music of stringed instruments like the goje resemble northern African patterns.

hmmmm ........ very very interesting indeed. I need to touch up on history mehn

[NNE1]

Originally Posted by Jem

Hausa is the official language of northern Nigeria and is used throughout much of western Africa as a trade language. There are over 22 million native speakers of Hausa and over 16 million using it as a second language. These groups are spread throughout Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon, the Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Libya. The Hausa literary language is marked by heavy borrowing of religious and technological terms from Arabic.

Indeed, Hausa was written using an alphabet based on Arabic until the early part of the twentieth century when it switched to a Latin based alphabet.

my comments: aint hausa like the most recognized african language ? .... I mean like -- if BBC can braodcast they ish in hausa and pay these translators big bucks then WOW !!!! Thing is where did hausa culture in itself come from ??

yes hausa and swahili (kiswahili). I am trying to learn both once i learn them it would mean great ops. hausa culture in itself could also be borrowed from different cultures, but dont quote me sha.