Languages of Ivory Coast

Languages of the Ivory Coast
Ivorian newspapers, written in French
Official	French
National	About 69 languages:Baoulé,Sénoufo,Yao Una,Agni,Attié (or Akyé),Guéré,Bété,Dyula,Abé,Mahou,Wobé,Lobi,Guro,Mooré
Vernacular	African French
Foreign	List Arabic English
Signed	Francophone African Sign Language
Keyboard layout	FrenchAZERTY

Linguistic map of Ivory Coast:Kru languagesin green,Mande languagesin yellow,Gur languagesin purple,Akan languagesin blue

University in Abidjan(Université catholique de l'Afrique de l'ouest à Cocody)

Ivory Coastis amultilingualcountry with an estimated 69 languages currently spoken.Theofficial language,French,was introduced during thecolonial period.This language is taught in schools and serves as alingua francain the country, along withDioula.

Ivory Coast is aFrancophonecountry, and in 2024, French is spoken by 10 million people out of 28.9 million (33.61%).

The seventy or so indigenous languages fall into five main branches of theNiger–Congofamily. In the southeastern quadrant areKwa languages,some such asBaouléandAnyin(2–3 million and 1 million speakers) part of adialect continuumwithAkanin Ghana, others such asAttié (or Akyé)(half a million) more divergent. Baoulé is spoken east ofLake Kossouand at the capitalYamoussoukro,and Anyi along the Ghanaian border. In the southwestern quadrant areKru languages,such asBeteand We (Gure/Wobe), half a million apiece, andDida(a quarter million), related to the languages of Liberia. In the northwest, along the Guinean border and across to Lake Kossou in the center of the country, areMande languages,such asDan(1 million speakers) andGuro(half a million, on the lake). The lake and theriver Bandamadivide the Kwa east of the country from the Kru and Mande west. Across the center north are variousSenufo languages,such asSenari(1 million speakers). In the northeast corner, surroundingComoé National Park,are a quarter million speakers each ofKulango,theGur languageLobi,and the Mande languageJula(French:Dioula), which is alingua francaof neighboringBurkina Faso.

There are also three million or so speakers of immigrant languages, mostly from neighboring countries and above all from Burkina Faso. Ethnic tensions in the north between immigrant and native Ivoirians, as well as between the Mande/Senoufo north and the Kru/Kwa south, were a large factor in theIvorian civil wars.

Education for the deaf in Ivory Coast usesAmerican Sign Language,introduced by the deaf American missionaryAndrew Foster.

Sources

• Ethnologuelist and map for Ivory Coast
• PanAfrican L10n page on Ivory Coast
• (in French)Linguistic situation in Ivory Coast

See also

• African French