Wolof language

Wolof language is a language of Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, and the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Senegambian branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Unlike most other languages of Sub-Saharan Africa, Wolof is not a tonal language.

History

Wolof originated as the language of the Lebu people. It is the most widely spoken language in Senegal, spoken natively by the Wolof people (40% of the population) but also by most other Senegalese as a second language.

Phonology

Wolof is characterized by its consonant and vowel harmony. It has a relatively simple phonemic system, with no tones, but a complex system of morphophonology.

Grammar

Wolof's grammatical structure is characterized by its noun class system, with a system of ten noun classes, and its verb system, which is organized around aspect rather than tense.

Writing system

Wolof was originally written with a version of the Arabic script known as Wolofal. The Latin script was introduced during the colonial period and is now the most commonly used script for writing Wolof, although Wolofal is still used by some.

Dialects

There are several dialects of Wolof, including Lebu Wolof and Dakar-Wolof. The major differences between the dialects involve pronunciation and, to a lesser extent, vocabulary.

Influence

Wolof has borrowed words from French, Arabic, Portuguese, and to a lesser extent English. It has also influenced other languages in the region, including Serer, Fula, and Mandinka.

See also

• Languages of Senegal
• Languages of the Gambia
• Languages of Mauritania