Organisations like Duolingo see the potential in developing resources for widely spoken languages such as Swahili and Zulu, making it economically viable to invest in their development. “There is a growing demand for tools that support local languages, as populations increasingly recognise the importance of preserving their linguistic heritage. “The historical impact of colonialism on African languages has led to a delay in the development of tools and resources for local languages,” says Vukosi Marivate, associate professor of computer science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. A report by Research and Markets forecasts that the online global language learning market will grow 20.3% by 2029, to reach a market size of $31.81bn.īy incorporating African languages, analysts say Duolingo fosters linguistic diversity, while expanding its subscriber base and ramping up profits. It accumulated $369.5m in revenue in 2022, according to market research firm Statista – a 47% increase over the previous year. The language learning platform generates revenue from advertising, subscription fees, and exam fees. In South Africa, leading local telco Vodacom enables its 45 million customers to use Duolingo for free, eliminating data charges when using the app. An ad-free version costs £6.49 ($8) per month for UK subscribers. Fostering linguistic diversityĭuolingo provides free access with ads. In more good news for African language learners, Xhosa for English speakers will be released in December this year, bolstering Duolingo’s 50m users. Swahili, added five years ago, now has over 477,000 subscribers.
In a matter of months, Duolingo has attracted over 30,000 Zulu learners to its platform, making it the second African language offered on its app. “My son was really excited when Duolingo made Zulu available last year, as it’s easier to learn that way than to be arched over a textbook when you have a busy life.” Yet their reading, writing and speaking was not as good, as they always spoke and studied in English growing up,” says Mkhize. “I don’t think they could ever lose their ability to understand Zulu, because I spoke it to them in their early years.
Now an adult, he has continued learning Zulu at his own pace, reinforcing his cultural bonds. Then one of her children signed up to Duolingo – a popular edtech language learning platform – after it began offering Zulu language tools last year. Annual three-week visits to Johannesburg enabled them to engage with local speakers, but their spoken proficiency waned over time, particularly during their teenage years. They were born to an English father in Oxford, UK, and educated at a Church of England primary school. South African events worker Zanele Mkhize struggled for years to maintain her children’s Zulu language fluency.
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