Chari-Nile languages

Also known as: Macro-Sudanic languages

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

The Chari-Nile languages, now more commonly referred to as Nilo-Saharan languages, constitute one of the four major language families in Africa. This group is believed to have descended from a single ancestral language and is genetically related. The Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken across a vast area, stretching from east of Lake Victoria in East Africa westward to the Niger River valley in West Africa.1

The classification of these languages has evolved over time. Initially proposed as Macro-Sudanic by Joseph H. Greenberg, it was later renamed Chari-Nile due to the geographic proximity of many of its languages to the Chari and Nile rivers. However, the term Chari-Nile is now considered obsolete, with Nilo-Saharan being the current designation. This family includes numerous branches such as Nilotic, Nubian, Kunama, and Central Sudanic languages.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Nilo-Saharan languages
History of classification
…Macro-Sudanic was subsequently changed to Chari-Nile. This new name helped to distinguish Greenberg’s grouping from the Sudanic of some of Greenberg’s intellectual predecessors. Greenberg’s Chari-Nile family included, among others, a Central Sudanic and an Eastern Sudanic branch. The latter were coterminous with, but not entirely identical to, Westermann’s Central Sudanic…
Read More
…Macro-Sudanic was subsequently changed to Chari-Nile. This new name helped to distinguish Greenberg’s grouping from the Sudanic of some of Greenberg’s intellectual predecessors. Greenberg’s Chari-Nile family included, among others, a Central Sudanic and an Eastern Sudanic branch. The latter were coterminous with, but not entirely identical to, Westermann’s Central Sudanic…
Read More