Boston University Libraries OpenBU
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    •   OpenBU
    • BU Open Access Articles
    • BU Open Access Articles
    • View Item
    •   OpenBU
    • BU Open Access Articles
    • BU Open Access Articles
    • View Item

    Ajami scripts in the Senegalese speech community

    Thumbnail
    Publisher Version
    10.5617/jais.4599
    Author(s)
    Ngom, Fallou
    Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare by Email
    Export Citation
    Download to BibTex
    Download to EndNote/RefMan (RIS)
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Permanent Link
    https://hdl.handle.net/2144/40632
    Version
    Published version
    Citation (published version)
    F. Ngom. "Ajami scripts in the Senegalese speech community." Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. 1 - 23.
    Abstract
    Wolofal (from Wolof: Wolof language or ethnic group and ‘-al’: causative morpheme) is an Ajami writing (a generic term commonly used to refer to non-Arabic languages written with Arabic scripts) used to transliterate Wolof in Senegal.It results from the early Islamization of the major Muslim ethnic groups in the country, especially the Pulaar, the Wolof and the Mandinka. Although Senegal is considered to be a French-speaking country, ironically over 50% of the Senegalese people are thought to be illiterate in French. French literacy is restricted to the minority educated group mostly found in urban areas. Because the literacy rate in French is very small in the country, especially among older people, Wolofal remains a major means of written communication among people who are illiterate in French and who have attended Qurʾānic schools. It is used by these people to write letters, run their informal businesses and read religious poems and writings. This paper is based upon fieldwork conducted in Senegal in the summer of 2004. It discusses the orthographic system of Wolofal (com-pared to Arabic) and provides a sociolinguistic profile of communities in which it serves as major means of written communication.
    Rights
    This article appears in OpenBU by permission of the publisher.
    Collections
    • CAS: Anthropology: Scholarly Works [158]
    • BU Open Access Articles [3866]


    Boston University
    Contact Us | Send Feedback | Help
     

     

    Browse

    All of OpenBUCommunities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    Deposit Materials

    LoginNon-BU Registration

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Boston University
    Contact Us | Send Feedback | Help