Ajami in the Senegambia

by Fallou Ngom

Boubacar Diallo's Fula - Pulaar Community

Background about Fula - Pulaar

ajami scholarFuuta Jalon Fula is the variety of Fulfulde primarily spoken in the Republic of Guinea. It is also spoken in neighboring Senegal (particularly in the south), Guinea Bissau and The Gambia. Following are some linguistic features that distinguish Fuuta Jalon from the Fuuta Tooro variety (primarily spoken in northern Senegal) and the Fulakunda variety (primarily spoken in the region of Kolda in southern Senegal). The morpheme "-aani" is the perfective negative morpheme in both Fuuta Tooro and Fulakunda, while the Fuuta Jalon variety uses the morpheme "-aali." The Fuuta Jalon variety favors sequences of oral vowels followed by the velar nasal consonant "ŋ" word-finally (similar to Senegambian Mandinka), while the Fuuta Tooro and Fulakunda varieties generally use sequences of oral vowels followed by either the alveolar nasal 'n' or the bilabial nasal 'm' in similar positions. While none of these varieties is introduced in the public school system, their Latin- based alphabets are now used in adult literacy programs in Senegambia, particularly in rural areas, by both government and non-government organizations. Best evidence suggests that Ajami is not yet taken into account in formal literacy programs in the region. In general, while the Latin script is more commonly used in urban and rural areas where government and non-government literacy programs operate, Ajami continues to be the primary means of written communication in Muslim areas where these organizations have little presence. Because most Fulani people are Muslim, their linguistic varieties naturally exhibit strong lexical influences from Arabic.

Background information about Old manuscript

The city of Ziguinchor is the capital of the southernmost administrative region formerly known as Casamance, Senegal. Casamance is now divided into three administrative areas: Ziguinchor, Kolda and Sedhiou. Ziguinchor is the most ethnically, religiously, culturally, and linguistically diverse region of Senegal. It is inhabited by the Jóola, Mandinka, Fulakunda, Wolof, Fuuta Jalon Fula (mostly immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Guinea), and many other ethnic groups. Several of the ethnic groups in the region such as the Balanta, the Jóola Kasa, the Mankanya and Mandjak who live in the region follow Christianity and traditional religions. It is the region with the highest percentage of followers of traditional religions in Senegal. The principal economic activities in Casamance are rice cultivation, particularly among the Jóola, peanut cultivation, tourism, commerce, and fishing. It is the most lush and green region of Senegal.

Linguistic features of Old manuscript

The Fuuta Jalon variety (also known as Pular, Peulh or Fouta Djallon) is primarily spoken in Guinea and Sierra Leone but also occurs in Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea Bissau. The regular occurrence of sequences of oral vowels followed by the velar nasal consonant "ŋ" word-finally is a key feature of this Fulfulde variety. Besides this salient characteristic of Fuuta Jalon Fula, the alterations in words such as [toso:ko] (small) rather than [toko:so] in Fuuta Tooro variety, [tuŋ] rather than [tan] in Fuuta Tooro, [tɔŋ] rather than [to:n] in Fuuta Tooro, [miŋ] (I) rather than [mi:n] in Fuuta Tooro, [hɔnduŋ] rather than [holdum] (what) typical of Fuuta Tooro, the systematic use of the morpheme ''-aali'' (perfective negative marker) rather than ''-aani,'' the morpheme ''-ay'' (imperfective morpheme) rather than ''-at,'' and the limited Wolof lexical influence are some of the most noticeable traits of the Fuuta Jalon variety spoken in Ziguinchor.
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