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Wolof () is a language of Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, Wolof is not a tonal language. Wolof originated as the language of the Lebou people.〔Falola, Toyin; Salm, Steven J. Urbanization and African cultures. Carolina Academic Press, 2005. ISBN 0-89089-558-9. p 280〕〔Ngom, Fallou. Wolof. Lincom, 2003. ISBN 3-89586-845-0. p 2〕 It 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. Wolof dialects vary geographically and between rural and urban areas. "Dakar-Wolof", for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, French, and Arabic. "Wolof" is the standard spelling and may refer to the Wolof people or to Wolof culture. Variants include the older French ''Ouolof'' and the principally Gambian "Wollof". "Jolof", "jollof", etc., now typically refers either to the former Wolof state or to a common West African rice dish. Now-archaic forms include "Volof" and "Olof". Wolof words in English are believed to include ''yum/yummy'', from Wolof ''nyam'' "to taste",〔Pamela Munro and Dieynaba Gaye, "Ay Baati Wolof/A Wolof Dictionary, Revised Edition, 1997, UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics, Number 19". Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, 1997. p 145〕 ''nyam'' in Barbadian English〔Frank A. Collymore, ''Notes for a Glossary of Words and Phrases of Barbadian Dialect'', Advocate Company, Bridgetown, 1970.〕 meaning "to eat" (also compare Seychellois ''nyanmnyanm'', also meaning "to eat").〔Danielle D'Offay & Guy Lionet, ''Diksyonner Kreol-Franse / Dictionnaire Créole Seychellois – Français'', Helmut Buske Verlag, Hamburg, 1982. In all fairness, the word might as easily be from (フラニ語:nyaamde), "to eat".〕 ==Geographical distribution== Wolof is spoken by more than 10 million people and about 40 percent (approximately 5 million people) of Senegal's population speak Wolof as their native language. Increased mobility, and especially the growth of the capital Dakar, created the need for a common language: today, an additional 40 percent of the population speak Wolof as a 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. Typically when various ethnic groups in Senegal come together in cities and towns, they speak Wolof. It is therefore spoken in almost every regional and departmental capital in Senegal. Nevertheless, the official language of Senegal is French. In the Gambia, about 20–25 percent of the population speak Wolof as a first language, but Wolof has a disproportionate influence because of its prevalence in Banjul, the Gambian capital, where 75 percent of the population use it as a first language. In Serrekunda, the Gambia's largest town, although only a tiny minority are ethnic Wolofs, approximately 70 percent of the population speaks and/or understands Wolof. The official language of the Gambia is English; Mandinka (40 percent), Wolof (10 percent) and Fula (15 percent) are as yet not used in formal education. In Mauritania, about seven percent (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 a lingua franca in addition to Wolof and Arabic. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wolof language」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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