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Comoros Languages: Difference between revisions
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'''Comorian''' | '''Comorian''' | ||
*Comorian, or '''Shikomoro''' is the most widely spoken language in the country, spoken by 96.9% of the population | |||
*Comorian is closely related to Swahili as a Bantu Language | |||
*Each island has its own dialect of Comorian with the '''Shingazija''' dialect as the most widely used variant spoken on Grande Comore (Ngazija) by about 312,000 people | |||
*Shimwali dialect is spoken by 29,000 people on Moheli (Mwali) | |||
*Shinzwani dialect is spoken by about 275,000 people on Anjouan (Nzwani) | |||
*There is no accepted rules in the Comorian language because early academic works are difficult or impossible to obtain because of the lack of a written standard | |||
*There has been significant debate over which variant of the Comorian language is considered as the national language <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of the Comoros," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Comoros#Comorian, accessed 7 April 2021.</ref> | |||
'''French''' | '''French''' | ||
*French is the second most spoken language in the Comoros with 25.97% of the population speaking French in 2018 | |||
*It is considered the language of government and commerce and is acquired through formal, non-religious education | |||
*Similar to Arabic, higher education is also dependent on French language ability with many Comorian students attending universities in France <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of the Comoros," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Comoros#French, accessed 7 April 2021.</ref> | |||
'''Arabic''' | '''Arabic''' | ||
*Although an official language, Arabic is a minority language in the Comoros Islands and it is not reported as a first language amongst the population | |||
*Arabic functions as a language for the country’s dominant religion, Islam, with 95% of the population adhering to the Sunni Muslim faith | |||
*Arabic was a language of commerce, used for trade in the Comoros for over fifteen hundred years | |||
*From the 1970's, the Comorian society began to separate Arabic from religious purposes and teach it as a privileged secular subject | |||
*Higher education in the Comoros is tied to Arabic language usage, with many Comorian students receiving tertiary education in Arabic-speaking countries <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of the Comoros," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Comoros#Arabic, accessed 7 April 2021.</ref> | |||
'''Malagasy''' | '''Malagasy''' | ||
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*Swahili shares similarities with the Comorian language and is estimated to be spoken by 1% of the population | *Swahili shares similarities with the Comorian language and is estimated to be spoken by 1% of the population | ||
*Much of the early history of the Comoros is written in Swahili, using the Arabic script | *Much of the early history of the Comoros is written in Swahili, using the Arabic script | ||
*Many ancient Comorian poems and songs written in Swahili detail key historical events such as the slave trade, and the various battles between the Sultans who once ruled the Comoros | *Many ancient Comorian poems and songs written in Swahili detail key historical events such as the slave trade, and the various battles between the Sultans who once ruled the Comoros | ||
*'''Kiunguja''', a dialect of Swahili, is also spoken in the Comoros, particularly in Grande Comore Islands <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of the Comoros," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Comoros#Swahili, accessed 7 April 2021.</ref> | *'''Kiunguja''', a dialect of Swahili, is also spoken in the Comoros, particularly in Grande Comore Islands <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of the Comoros," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_Comoros#Swahili, accessed 7 April 2021.</ref> | ||