Gen language
Encyclopedia
Gen is a Gbe
language spoken in the southeast of Togo
in the Maritime Region
. It is also spoken in the Mono Department
of Benin
. It is part of the Volta–Niger
branch of the major African Niger–Congo
language family. Like the other Gbe languages, Gen is a tonal language.
According to SIL/Ethnologue, there are 200,000 Gen-speakers in Togo in 1991, and and 130,000 in Benin in 2006.
Gbe languages
The Gbe languages form a cluster of about twenty related languages stretching across the area between eastern Ghana and western Nigeria. The total number of speakers of Gbe languages is between four and eight million. The most widely spoken Gbe language is Ewe , followed by Fon...
language spoken in the southeast of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
in the Maritime Region
Maritime Region
Maritime is the southernmost of Togo's five regions, with the country's only shoreline on the Bight of Benin. Lomé serves as both the regional and national capital...
. It is also spoken in the Mono Department
Mono Department
Mono is one of the twelve departments of Benin. The capital of this department is Lokossa. The department of Kouffo was part of Mono until 1999 when the Benin government split up some of the departments and made new departments. The Gen language is only spoken in this department in Benin...
of Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
. It is part of the Volta–Niger
Volta–Niger languages
The Volta–Niger family of languages, also known as West Benue–Congo or East Kwa, is one of the branches of the Niger–Congo language family, with perhaps 50 million speakers...
branch of the major African Niger–Congo
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
language family. Like the other Gbe languages, Gen is a tonal language.
According to SIL/Ethnologue, there are 200,000 Gen-speakers in Togo in 1991, and and 130,000 in Benin in 2006.