About Wolof

ABOUT THE WOLOF PEOPLE & LANGUAGE

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. www.wikipedia.org

WOLOF PEOPLE

The Wolofs are an ethnic group living in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. Their native language is also called “Wolof”.

In Senegal the Wolof form an ethnic plurality. About 40% (approximataly 3.2 million people) of Senegal’s population are Wolof. In the whole region from Dakar to Saint-Louis, and also west and southwest of Kaolack, the Wolof form the vast majority of the people. In Casamance and Senegal’s west, Wolof people are hardly to be found. Because 80% of Senegal’s population speak the Wolof language, culture and language of the Wolof people have an enormous influence.

In the Gambia, about 15% (approximately 200,000 people) of the population are Wolof. Here, they are just a minority, and, for comparison, the Mandinka people are the dominant majority with 40% of the population. But Wolof language and culture have a disproportionate influence because of their prevalence in Banjul, the Gambia’s capital, where 50% of the population are Wolof.

In Mauritania a minority of about 7% (approximately 185,000 people) of the population are Wolof, who are located in the southern coastal regions of the country.

In older French publications the spelling “Ouolof” is often used instead of “Wolof”. In some English publications, predominantly those referring to Gambian Wolof, the spelling “Wollof” is used, because this spelling will induce native English speakers to pronounce the term correctly as a Wolof speaker. In publications of the 19th century and before the spelling “Volof” and “Olof” can also be found. Rarely used are also the spellings “Jolof”, “Jollof” and “Dyolof”. – The term “Wolof” itself may also refer to the Wolof language or to things originating from Wolof culture or tradition.

WOLOF LANGUAGE

Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, and it is the native language of the ethnic group of the Wolof people. It belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

Wolof is the most widely-spoken language in Senegal, spoken not only by members of the Wolof ethnic group (approximately 40% of the population) but also by most other Senegalese. Wolof dialects may vary between countries (Senegal and the Gambia) and the rural and urban areas. “Dakar-Wolof”, for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, French, Arabic and English spoken in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

About 40% (approximataly 3.2 million people) of Senegal’s population speak Wolof as mother tongue. An additional 40% of the population speak Wolof as second or acquired language. In the whole region from Dakar to Saint-Louis, and also west and southwest of Kaolack, Wolof is spoken by the vast majority of the people. In Casamance and Senegal’s west, Wolof is rarely used. The official language of Senegal is French.

In the Gambia, about 15% (approximately 200,000 people) of the population speak Wolof as a first language, but Wolof has a disproportionate influence because of its prevalence in Banjul, the Gambia’s capital, where fifty percent of the population use it as a first language. The official language of the Gambia is English. The Gambia’s dominant languages, Mandinka (40%), Wolof (15%) and Fula (15%), also have official status.

In Mauritania, about 7% (approximately 185,000 people) of the population speak Wolof. There, the language is used only around the southern coastal regions. Mauritania’s official language is Arabic; French is used as lingua franca.

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