Swahili and English, the latter being inherited from colonial rule (see Tanganyika Territory), are widely spoken as lingua francas.

[2] Most languages spoken locally belong to two broad language families: Niger-Congo (Bantu branch) and Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu and Nilotic populations, respectively.

The two official languages, Swahili and English, are used in varying degrees of fluency for communication with other populations.

According to the official national linguistic policy announced in 1984, Swahili is the language of the social and political sphere as well as primary and adult education, whereas English is the language of secondary education, universities, technology, and higher courts.

[4] The government announced in 2015 that it would discontinue the use of English as a language of education as part of an overhaul of the Tanzanian schools' system.