Indo-European and Malayo-Polynesian Indo-European tongues used
in Africa include Afrikaans and English (native to many people
in the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe). African Americans
coming to Liberia in the 19th cent. introduced English there,
and repatriated slaves who settled in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in
the 19th cent. used a form of pidgin English, from which a
creole English (now called Krio) developed. A form of creole
Portuguese is current in Guinea-Bissau. Many other African lands
employ European languages, particularly French, Portuguese, and
English, which are often used in schools and in government as a
second language. The Malayo-Polynesian family is represented by
Malagasy, which is spoken on the island of Madagascar. Sections
in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed.
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