Some effort is being made to protect African languages from this apparently inexorable decline.

ECONOMIST: English is dangerously dominant

"It is English modified under the influence of African languages, " he says.

CNN: African slave traditions live on in U.S.

Mahlasela sings in six different South African languages, including English.

NPR: Vusi Mahlasela's Musical Journey

In January 2010, UIL and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) held a Ministerial Conference on the Integration of African Languages and Cultures into Education in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

UNESCO: CONFINTEA VI

"It's a wonderful contribution and another piece of the mosaic" supporting the out-of-Africa hypothesis, said Ekkehard Wolff, professor emeritus of African Languages and Linguistics at the University of Leipzig in Germany, who read the paper.

WSJ: Study Points to a Single, Original Language for All Humans

An older woman approaches Motsepe and nearly swoons, grasping his arm and laying her head on his chest as he pats her back and murmurs thank you in Xhosa, one of the six African languages he speaks.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In 1972, UNESCO adopted a ten-year plan for the study of African oral traditions and the promotion of African Languages, the first Festival of the Arts of the Pacific was held in Fiji and two series of cultural studies on Latin America were launched.

UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage

Hailing from West and Central African regions with diverse languages and cultural practices, the Moore Town Maroons elaborated new collective religious ceremonies that incorporated various spiritual traditions.

UNESCO: Intangible Cultural Heritage

Many of the Jews who came to Africa were so successful because they were forced to learn many languages, and they were the only ones who could communicate with African ostrich farmers, hunters and traders as well as European governments and businesses.

FORBES: Magazine Article