Fon, a member of the Niger-Congo language family, is spoken predominantly in Benin. Its close relationships with neighboring languages are rooted in shared history, migration patterns, and cultural exchanges in West Africa. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Fon are Aja, Ewe, Igbo, Baoule, and Edo, although it is quite unique.
- Aja (66.1)
Aja is perhaps the language most closely related to Fon. Both are part of the Gbe language branch, which means they share significant lexical similarities. Historically, the Fon and Aja people have had intertwined origins, which is reflected in their languages. Speakers of Aja and Fon can often understand each other to some extent. - Ewe (58.7)
Ewe is another member of the Gbe language branch. It also shares deep similarities with Fon. It still maintains a high level of mutual intelligibility with Fon due to their common roots. The cultural proximity between Ewe-speaking regions in Togo and Fon-speaking regions in Benin has further reinforced their linguistic similarities. - Igbo (31.)
Igbo is not part of the Gbe family. It belongs to the Volta-Niger branch. Still, Igbo and Fon share some commonalities. Centuries of trade, migration, and interaction between Igbo and Fon communities have also facilitated the borrowing of certain words and expressions. - Baoulé (24.9)
Spoken primarily in Côte d’Ivoire, Baoulé belongs to the Akan branch of the Niger-Congo family. Both languages also reflect traditional West African modes of expression and worldview, though Baoulé diverges more significantly in vocabulary and syntax due to its distinct subgroup within Niger-Congo. Still, they share deep historical ancestry. - Edo (24.1)
Spoken in southern Nigeria, Edo rounds out the list. It shares some typological features with Fon, such as tonality and the use of aspect markers. Despite greater linguistic distance compared to Aja or Ewe, the Edo and Fon peoples historically interacted through trade and cultural exchange, which led to some cross-linguistic influences.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)