Language Demographics
The most widely spoken languages are Oshiwambo dialects, by 48% of the population, the Khoekhoe language by 11%, Afrikaans by 11%, Kwangali language by 10% and Herero by 10%. Other native languages include the Bantu languages Tswana, Gciriku, Fwe, Kuhane, Mbukushu, Yeyi; and the Khoisan Naro, ǃXóõ, Kung-Ekoka, ǂKxʼauǁʼein and Kxoe. English, the official language, is spoken by less than 1% of people as their native language. Among the white population, 60% speak Afrikaans, 32% German, 7% English, and 1% Portuguese (current figures show that they are in fact 4-5% of the total population of the country nowadays, i.e. 100,000 people).
Indigenous languages are included in the school syllabus at primary level. From secondary level English is the medium of instruction. Afrikaans is the only language that comes close to a lingua franca, and is spoken by most black townspeople together with English and their native language.
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Distribution of Oshiwambo
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Distribution of Khoekhoe (also known as Nama or Damara)
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Distribution of Afrikaans
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Distribution of Otjiherero
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Distribution of Kavango languages
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Distribution of Caprivi languages
Read more about this topic: Languages Of Namibia
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