Wolof Language, People and Culture:

Wolof (also written as Ouolof) is a language spoken throughout Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania. The Wolof language belongs to the North Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family.  Unlike many other African languages, Wolof is not a tonal language.  And although it has a long tradition of writing using the Arabic script known as Ajami or Wolofal, it has also been adapted to Roman script. Although there are many ethnic groups in Senegal including, the Pël, Sereer, Mandinka and Joola, the Wolof language and culture has had the most observable impact, dominating as the lingua franca of communication throughout the Senegambia region. While only about 40% of the Senegalese population is Wolof, more than 80% of the people speak the language as either their first, second or third language. The extent of Wolof influence can be observed, to one degree or another, across the religious, economic, political, and social spheres and has been used as an effective medium of communication via radio and television broadcasts. The Wolof language varies slightly from St. Louis to Dakar however the various dialects are mutually understandable across rural and urban divides and state boundaries. Wolof is not a static language and the dialect spoken primarily by the youth in urban areas has been noted for its adaptation and infusion with French, English and Arabic. Read more about Wolof Language...

Wolof Courses

Undergraduate and Graduate courses are offered in Wolof at both the Elementary and Intermediate Undergraduate and Graduate courses are offered in Wolof at both the Elementary and Intermediate Level.  Students enrolled in Wolof language are introduced to Wolof greetings, vocabulary, grammar, literature and proverbs with an emphasis on building conversational and written Wolof language ability. Additionally, students are introduced to Wolof culture through various interactive classroom activities, discussions, films and acting.

Elementary Level: (WOL 301,302, 303, 501,502,503)

Undergraduates enroll for 4 credits but graduate students may enroll between 3 to 5 credits. Additional workload is given for graduate students who take more than 4 credits. The first year introduces the essential elements of Wolof grammatical structure with an emphasis on communication skills. Additionally, it introduces students to the culture, literature, religion, film and geography of Senegal. This course is especially appropriate for students planning to travel to Senegal.

Intermediate level: (WOL 304, 305,306,504,505,506)

The course introduces learners to more advanced elements of Wolof grammar and culture. Intermediate Wolof has the prerequisite of elementary level Wolof. The intermediate level focuses on culturally contextualizing Wolof grammatical and communicative skills. The course emphasizes speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in Wolof.

Instructor: Fanta Diamanka
E-mail: fd298705@ohio.edu
Office: Lindley Hall 034
Tel: 740-2743029

Fanta came to Ohio University in 2005 from Senegal where she was teaching Wolof, Pulaar and French at several institutions since 1999 including Peace Corps, School for International Training and the Council on International Educational  Exchange (CIEE) and working with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) on issues of women’s rights in West African Islamic societies.