Languages of Sierra Leone | |
---|---|
Official | English |
Recognised | Krio, Mende, Temne |
Minority | Fula, Klao, Kissi, Kono, Kuranko, Limba, Loko, Maninka, Pular, Sherbro, Sua, Susu, Yalunka |
Signed | Sierra Leonean Sign Language |
Keyboard layout |
Sierra Leone is a multilingual country. [1] English is the official language, and Krio is the most widely spoken language among the different ethnic groups across Sierra Leone. [2] [3] [4]
Other major languages include Mende, which is spoken by 31% of the population as a mother tongue and is also widely spoken in the southern, and most of the Eastern part of Sierra Leone. Temne, which is spoken by 32% as a mother tongue, is also widely spoken in the northern province and the north Western province. Other languages include Kono, Kissi, Kuranko, Limba, Fula ( Pular), Mandingo and Susu.
Although English, as the official language, is spoken in schools, government administration and the media, Krio is spoken as a lingua franca in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone. Krio, an English-based creole language, is the mother tongue of 10.5% of the population but is spoken by 90% of Sierra Leoneans. [5]