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Languages and Literature, Africa

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African languages and literature

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Though, studies in languages and literatures of Africa may be approached independently, but the strong connection between the two in providing holistic understanding of the African worldview has made an inclusive engagement of the two disciplines not only fashionable but also productive. The study of African languages (means of communication of cultures and symbols) addresses issues such as the number of spoken languages and their groupings. Overall, there are about 2,028 languages in Africa, representing about one third of languages spoken worldwide, on the other hand African literature (the verbal or written forms through which the truths of different cultural dynamics are communicated) is located in the combination of oral and written literature. The contemporary written African literatures done both in local and foreign languages are largely historically indebted to transitional dynamics of oral literature built on genres...

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Correspondence to Ibigbolade S. Aderibigbe .

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Aderibigbe, I.S. (2013). Languages and Literature, Africa. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1417

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1417

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8264-1

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