A member of a West African people primarily from Nigeria and Niger, or their Afro-Asiatic language spoken by millions.
From the native name for the people and their language; the term has been used in English since at least the 18th century as traders and explorers encountered Hausa kingdoms. The word entered English through contact with African merchants.
Hausa is one of the most widely spoken African languages with over 70 million speakers, yet it's barely known outside Africa in English—meanwhile we hear about way smaller language communities. It's a reminder of how English media shapes what languages seem 'important' to English speakers!
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