"Niger-Congo languages"의 정의 및 의미

What are "Niger-Congo languages"?

Niger-Congo languages are a large and diverse family of languages primarily spoken in sub-Saharan Africa. This family includes over 1,500 languages, making it one of the largest language families in the world. Major languages within the Niger-Congo family include Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, Shona, and Zulu. These languages are characterized by features such as noun class systems, which categorize nouns into different classes based on characteristics like gender or number, and a rich system of verb morphology. The study of Niger-Congo languages provides insights into the cultural diversity, history, and social structures of the communities that speak them, as well as their contributions to African literature and oral traditions.