English is the official language and is taught throughout the education system, though Afrikaans is still the lingua franca amongst many of the older generation. The main ethnic languages fall into the Bantu and Khoisan language groups. Virtually all black Namibians also speak one or more African languages, and many will speak several. Many white Namibians (especially those in the commercial farming communities) regard German as their first language, though they will normally understand English and Afrikaans as well. Linguistics experts have identified at least 28 different languages and numerous dialects amongst the indigenous population. Although these different language groupings do loosely correspond to what might be described as Namibia's 'tribes', the distinctions are blurred by the natural linguistic ability of most Namibians. While it is normal to speak Afrikaans plus one local language, many Namibians speak a number of local languages fluently; thus ethnic groupings provide only a rough guide to the many languages and dialects of Namibia's people.