Jola-Fonyi language

Jola (French: Diola; Jola: Joola), also called Jola-Fonyi (French: Diola-Fogny) and Kujamataak, is a language spoken by half a million people in the Casamance region of Senegal, and neighboring countries. Jola-Fonyi is one of several closely related Jola languages spoken in the area.

Jola-Fonyi
kujóolay
Native toGambia, Senegal
RegionCasamance
Native speakers
410,000 (ca.2006)[1]
Widespread as a second language
Dialects
  • Buluf
  • Fonyi
  • Kombo
  • Kalounaye
  • Narang
Language codes
ISO 639-3dyo
Glottologjola1263
ELPJola-Fonyi[2]

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Stop/
Affricate		 voiceless p t t͡ʃ k
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Fricative f s h
Trill r
Lateral l
Approximant w j

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e ə o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Vowel length is also phonemic.[3]

Writing System

In Senegal

In Senegal, the decree No.  2005-981 created the official orthography of Jola.

Jola Alphabet (Senegal)
Uppercase ABCDE FGHIJ KLMNÑ ŊOPRS TUWY
Lowercase abcde fghij klmnñ ŋoprs tuwy

Long vowels are indicated by doubling the letter: <aa ee ii oo uu>. The acute accent over a vowel <á é í ó ú> indicates that the advanced and retracted tongue root for that vowel and the other vowels of the words by vowel harmony.

References
  1. Jola-Fonyi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Endangered Languages Project data for Jola-Fonyi.
  3. Sapir, David J. (1965). A Grammar of Diola-Fogny: A Language Spoken in the Basse-Casamance Region of Senegal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bibliography
  • Hopkins, Bradley L. 1995. Contribution à une etude de la syntaxe Diola-Fogny. Cahiers de Recherche Linguistique, 4. Dakar: Société Internationale de Linguistique.
  • Hopkins, Bradley and Elizabeth Hopkins. 1992. Apprentissage de la langue Diola-Fogny: Un cours pratique. Dakar: Société Internationale de Linguistique.

See also
  • Category:Diola-language films


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