Wolof language

Wolof (/ˈwoʊlɒf/;[3] Wolofal: ولوفل) is a language of Senegal, Mauritania, and the Gambia, 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 the Niger-Congo family, Wolof is not a tonal language.

Quick facts: Wolof, Native to, Ethnicity, Native spea... ▼

Wolof
Wolof ولوفل
Native to	Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia
Ethnicity	Wolof
Native speakers	5,454,000 (2001–2016)[1][2] L2 speakers: ?
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Atlantic Senegambian Wolof–Nyun Wolof
Writing system	Latin (Wolof alphabet) Arabic (Wolofal) Garay
Official status
Regulated by	CLAD (Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar)
Language codes
ISO 639-1	wo
ISO 639-2	wol
ISO 639-3	Either: wol – Wolof wof – Gambian Wolof
Glottolog	wolo1247
Linguasphere	90-AAA-aa
Areas where Wolof is spoken

Wolof 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.[4] Wolof dialects vary geographically and between rural and urban areas. The principal dialect of Dakar, for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, French, and Arabic.

Wolof is the standard spelling and may also refer to the Wolof ethnicity or culture. Variants include the Gambian Wolof, or the older French Ouolof, Jollof, or Jolof, which now typically refers either to the Jolof Empire or to jollof rice, a common West African rice dish. Now-archaic forms include Volof and Olof.

English is believed to have adopted some Wolof loanwords, such as banana, via Spanish or Portuguese,[5] and nyam, used also in Spanish: 'ñam' as an onomatopoeia for eating or chewing, in several Caribbean English Creoles meaning "to eat" (compare Seychellois Creole nyanmnyanm, also meaning "to eat").[6]