File:Gbe_languages.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Also known as Fon language
part of the Gbe language cluster and belongs to the Volta–Niger branch of the Niger–Congo languages
Fon is a language spoken primarily in Benin that belongs to a family of related African languages called Gbe. It matters because it represents an important part of West African linguistic and cultural heritage, and studying it helps linguists understand the broader patterns and history of Niger–Congo languages, one of the world's largest language families.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- modern language
- Subclass of
- Gbe
- Country
- Togo
Show 10 more facts
- native label
- fɔ̀ngbè
- linguistic typology
- subject–verb–object
- Wikimedia language code
- fon
- writing system
- Latin script
- Commons category
- Fon language
- number of speakers, writers, or signers
- 1935500
- topic's main category
- Category:Fon language
- indigenous to
- Plateaux Region
- P10369
- Belize
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Encyclopedic overview
Fon (fɔ̀ngbè, pronounced [fɔ̃̀ɡ͡bē]), also known as Dahomean or Beninese, is the language of the Fon people. It belongs to the Gbe group within the larger Atlantic–Congo family. It is primarily spoken in Benin, as well as in Nigeria and Togo by approximately 2.3 million speakers. Like the other Gbe languages, Fon is an isolating language with a SVO basic word order.
Cultural and legal status
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Fon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.