View source for Wolof language

{{short description|Language of Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Wolof
|nativename={{lang|wo-Latn|Wolof làkk}}, {{lang|wo-Arab|وࣷلࣷفْ لࣵکّ}}
|pronunciation={{IPA|wo|ˀɔlɔf lakˑʰ|}}
|region= [[Senegambia]]
|states=[[Senegal]], [[Gambia]], [[Mauritania]]
|ethnicity=[[Wolof people|Wolof]]
|speakers=[[first language|L1]]: {{sigfig|8.214320|2}} million
|speakers_label=Speakers
|date=2022–2023
|ref=<ref name=e28>{{e28|wol}}</ref>
|dia1=Baol
|dia2=Cayor
|dia3=Jolof
|dia4=Lebu
|dia5=Jander
|dia6=Dakar–Wolof (Urban)
|dia7=Gambian
|speakers2=[[Second language|L2]]: {{sigfig|9.534480|2}} million (2023)<ref name=e28>{{e28|wol}}</ref><br>Total: {{sigfig|17.748800|2}} million (2022–2023)<ref name=e28>{{e28|wol}}</ref>
|familycolor=Niger–Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]]
|fam3=[[West Atlantic languages|West Atlantic]]
|fam4=[[Senegambian languages|Senegambian]]
|fam5=[[Senegambian languages|Fula–Wolof]]
|script=[[Latin script|Latin]] (Wolof alphabet)<br />[[Arabic script|Arabic]] ([[Wolofal script|Wolofal]])<br/>[[Garay alphabet|Garay script]]
|agency=CLAD ([[Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar]])
|iso1=wo
|iso2=wol
|lc1 = wol
|ld1=Wolof
|lc2 = wof
|ld2=Gambian Wolof
|nation= [[Senegal]] ([[National language|national status]])
|lingua=90-AAA-aa
|map=Wolof_language_map.svg
|mapcaption = Areas where Wolof is spoken
|glotto=wolo1247
|glottorefname=Wolofic
}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Aminah Abba speaking Wolof.webm|thumb|A Wolof speaker, recorded in [[Taiwan]]]]
'''Wolof''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|oʊ|l|ɒ|f}} {{respell|WOH|lof}};<ref>{{OED|Wolof}}</ref> {{lang|wo|Wolof làkk}}, {{lang|wo-Arab|وࣷلࣷفْ لࣵکّ}}) also known as '''Senegalese''' is a [[Niger–Congo languages|Niger–Congo]] language spoken by the [[Wolof people]] in much of the [[West Africa]]n subregion of [[Senegambia]] that is split between the countries of [[Senegal]], [[The Gambia]] and [[Mauritania]]. Like the neighbouring languages [[Serer language|Serer]] and [[Fula language|Fula]], it belongs to the [[Senegambian languages|Senegambian branch]] of the Niger–Congo language family. Unlike most other languages of its family, Wolof is not a [[tonal language]].

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.<ref name="brochure">{{Cite web|url=http://nalrc.indiana.edu/brochures/wolof.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904011623/http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu/brochures/wolof.pdf |archive-date=2013-09-04 |url-status=live|title=Wolof Brochure|website=Indiana.edu|access-date=10 June 2018}}</ref> Wolof [[dialect]]s vary geographically and between rural and urban areas. The principal dialect of [[Dakar]], for instance, is an urban mixture of Wolof, [[French language|French]], and [[Arabic]].

''Wolof'' is the standard spelling and may also refer to the Wolof ethnicity or culture. Variants include the older French {{lang|fr|Ouolof}}, {{lang|fr|Jollof}}, or {{lang|fr|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 language|English]] is believed to have adopted some Wolof [[loanword]]s, such as ''[[banana]]'', via [[Spanish language|Spanish]] or [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=banana&searchmode=none |title=banana |last1=Harper |first1=Douglas |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=6 March 2016}}</ref> and {{lang|cpe-029|nyam}}, used also in Spanish: 'ñam' as an onomatopoeia for eating or chewing,  in several [[English-based creole languages#List|Caribbean English Creoles]] meaning "to eat" (compare [[Seychellois Creole]] {{lang|crs|nyanmnyanm}}, also meaning "to eat").<ref>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 [[Fula language|Fula]] {{lang|ff|nyaamde}}, "to eat".</ref>

==Geographical distribution==
{{more citations needed|date=March 2025}}
[[File:Wolof Empire.jpg|thumb|States of the Wolof Empire]]

Wolof is spoken by 18 million people and about 40% (8.2 million people) of Senegal's population speak Wolof as their native language.<ref name=e28></ref><ref name="brochure"></ref> 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, Senegal|Saint-Louis]], and also west and southwest of [[Kaolack]], Wolof is spoken by the vast majority of 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 language|French]].

In [[The Gambia]], although about 20–25 percent of the population speak Wolof as a first language, it 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. Furthermore, in [[Serekunda]], The Gambia's largest town, although only a tiny minority are ethnic Wolofs, approximately 70 percent of the population speaks or understands Wolof.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-12 |title=Wolof Language Profile – DimProject |url=https://www.dimproject.net/2019/07/12/wol-profile/ |access-date=2025-11-09 |language=it-IT}}</ref>

In [[Mauritania]], about seven percent of the population (approximately 185,000 people) speak Wolof. Most live near or along the Senegal River that Mauritania shares with Senegal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-12 |title=Wolof Language Profile – DimProject |url=https://www.dimproject.net/2019/07/12/wol-profile/ |access-date=2025-11-09 |language=it-IT}}</ref>

==Classification==
Wolof is one of the [[Senegambian languages]], which are characterized by [[consonant mutation]].<ref>Torrence, Harold ''The Clause Structure of Wolof: Insights Into the Left Periphery'', John Benjamins Publishing, 2013, p. 20, {{ISBN|9789027255815}}  [https://books.google.com/books?id=QdsSxL0zsYEC&pg=PP20]</ref> It is often said to be closely related to the [[Fula language]] because of a misreading by Wilson (1989) of the data in Sapir (1971) that have long been used to classify the Atlantic languages.

==Varieties==
Senegalese/Mauritanian Wolof and Gambian Wolof are distinct national standards: they use different orthographies and use different languages (French vs. English) as their source for technical loanwords. However, both the spoken and written languages are mutually intelligible. [[Lebu Wolof]], on the other hand, is incomprehensible to standard Wolof speakers, a distinction that has been obscured because all Lebu speakers are bilingual in standard Wolof.<ref>Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices</ref>

==Phonology==
===Vowels===
The vowels are as follows:<ref>Unseth, 2009.</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+Vowels
! rowspan=2|
! colspan=2 style="font-size:smaller"| [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan=2 style="font-size:smaller"| [[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan=2 style="font-size:smaller"| [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! style="font-size:80%"| short
! style="font-size:80%"| long
! style="font-size:80%"| short
! style="font-size:80%"| long
! style="font-size:80%"| short
! style="font-size:80%"| long
|-align=center
! style="font-size:smaller"| [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}} {{angbr|i}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
| {{IPA link|u}} {{angbr|u}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-align=center
! style="font-size:smaller"| [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}} {{angbr|é}}
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
| {{IPA link|o}} {{angbr|ó}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-align=center
! style="font-size:smaller"| [[Mid vowel|mid]]
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
| {{IPA link|ə}} {{angbr|ë}}
| 
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
|-align=center
! style="font-size:smaller"| [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ}} {{angbr|e}}
| {{IPA link|ɛː}}
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
| {{IPA link|ɔ}} {{angbr|o}}
| {{IPA link|ɔː}}
|-align=center
! style="font-size:smaller"| [[Open vowel|Open]]
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
| {{IPA link|ä|a}} {{angbr|a}}
| {{IPA link|äː|aː}}
| style="background-color:gray"|
| style="background-color:gray"|
|}
There may be an additional low vowel, or this may be confused with orthographic ''à''.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

All vowels may be long (written double) or short.<ref>Long ''ëë'' is rare (Torrence 2013:10).</ref> {{IPA|/aː/}} is written {{angbr|à}} before a long (prenasalized or geminate) consonant (example ''làmbi'' "arena"). When ''é'' and ''ó'' are written double, the accent mark is often only on the first letter.

Vowels fall into two [[vowel harmony|harmonizing]] sets according to [[advanced tongue root|ATR]]:  ''i u é ó ë'' are +ATR, ''e o a'' are the −ATR analogues of ''é ó ë''.  For example,<ref>Torrence 2013:11</ref>

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing3=yes
|Lekk-oon ngeen
|{{IPA|/lɛkːɔːn ŋɡɛːn/}}
|eat-PAST FIN.2PL
|'You (plural) ate.'}}

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing3=yes
|Dóor-óon ngéen
|{{IPA|/doːroːn ŋɡeːn/}}
|hit-PAST FIN.2PL
|'You (plural) hit.'}}

There are no −ATR analogs of the high vowels ''i u''. They trigger +ATR harmony in suffixes when they occur in the root, but in a suffix, they may be transparent to vowel harmony.

The vowels of some suffixes or enclitics do not harmonize with preceding vowels. In most cases following vowels harmonize with them. That is, they reset the harmony, as if they were a separate word. However, when a suffix/clitic contains a high vowel (+ATR) that occurs after a −ATR root, any further suffixes harmonize with the root. That is, the +ATR suffix/clitic is "transparent" to vowel harmony. An example is the negative ''-u-'' in,

{{interlinear|indent=3|glossing3=yes
|Door-u-ma leen fa
|{{IPA|/dɔːruma lɛːn fa/}}
|begin-NEG-1SG 3PL LOC
|'I did not begin them there.'}}

where harmony would predict ''*door-u-më-léén-fë''.
That is, ''I or U'' behave as if they are their own −ATR analogs.

Authors differ in whether they indicate vowel harmony in writing, as well as whether they write clitics as separate words.

===Consonants===
Consonants in word-initial position are as follows:<ref name=Ka>Omar Ka, 1994, ''Wolof Phonology and Morphology''</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ '''Wolof consonants'''
|-
! colspan=2 | 
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} {{angbr|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} {{angbr|n}} || {{IPA link|ɲ}} {{angbr|ñ}} || {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{angbr|ŋ}}<ref>Or {{angbr|n̈}} in some texts.</ref> || || 
|-
! rowspan=3 | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasalized]]</small>
| {{IPA link|ᵐb}} {{angbr|mb}} || {{IPA link|ⁿd}} {{angbr|nd}} || {{IPA link|ᶮɟ}} {{angbr|nj}} || {{IPA link|ᵑɡ}} {{angbr|ng}} || || 
|-
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA link|b}} {{angbr|b}} || {{IPA link|d}} {{angbr|d}} || {{IPA link|ɟ}} {{angbr|j}} || {{IPA link|ɡ}} {{angbr|g}} || || 
|-
! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|p}} {{angbr|p}} || {{IPA link|t}} {{angbr|t}} || {{IPA link|c}} {{angbr|c}} || {{IPA link|k}} {{angbr|k}} || {{IPA link|q}} {{angbr|q}} || {{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| {{IPA link|f}} {{angbr|f}} || {{IPA link|s}} {{angbr|s}} || || colspan="2" | {{IPA link|x}}~{{IPA link|χ}} {{angbr|x}} || 
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| || {{IPA link|r}} {{angbr|r}} || || || || 
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| {{IPA link|w}} {{angbr|w}} || {{IPA link|l}} {{angbr|l}} || {{IPA link|j}} {{angbr|y}} || || || 
|}

All simple nasals, oral stops apart from ''q'' and glottal, and the sonorants ''l r y w'' may be [[gemination|geminated]] (doubled), though geminate ''r'' only occurs in [[ideophone]]s.<ref name=USPC>Pape Amadou Gaye, ''Practical Cours in / Cours Practique en Wolof: An Audio–Aural Approach.''</ref><ref>Some are restricted or rare, and sources disagree about this. Torrence (2013) claims that all consonants but prenasalized stops may be geminate, while Diouf (2009) does not list the fricatives, ''q'', or ''r y w'', and does not recognize glottal stop in the inventor.  The differences may be dialectical or because some sounds are rare.</ref> (Geminate consonants are written double.) ''Q'' is inherently geminate and may occur in an initial position; otherwise, geminate consonants and consonant clusters, including ''nt, nc, nk, nq'' ({{IPA|[ɴq]}}), are restricted to word-medial and -final position.  In the final place, geminate consonants may be followed by a faint [[epenthetic]] [[schwa]] vowel.

Of the consonants in the chart above, ''p d c k'' do not occur in the intermediate or final position, being replaced by ''f r s'' and zero, though geminate ''pp dd cc kk'' are common. Phonetic ''p c k'' do occur finally, but only as allophones of ''b j g'' due to [[final devoicing]].

[[Minimal pair]]s:<ref>Diouf (2009)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://resourcepage.gambia.dk/ftp/wollof.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623235249/http://resourcepage.gambia.dk/ftp/wollof.pdf |archive-date=2007-06-23 |url-status=live|title=Wollof - English Dictionary|date=1995|publisher=Peace Corps The Gambia|access-date=October 23, 2018}}</ref>

: ''bët'' ("eye") - ''bëtt'' ("to find")
: ''boy'' ("to catch fire") - ''boyy'' ("to be glimmering")
: ''dag'' ("a royal servant") - ''dagg'' ("to cut")
: ''dëj'' ("funeral") - ''dëjj'' ("[[cunt]]")
: ''fen'' ("to (tell a) lie") - ''fenn'' ("somewhere, nowhere")
: ''gal'' ("white gold") - ''gall'' ("to regurgitate")
: ''goŋ'' ("baboon") - ''goŋŋ'' (a kind of bed) 
: ''gëm'' ("to believe") - ''gëmm'' ("to close one's eyes")
: ''Jaw'' (a family name) - ''jaww'' ("heaven")
: ''nëb'' ("rotten") - ''nëbb'' ("to hide")
: ''woñ'' ("thread") - ''woññ'' ("to count")

===Tones===
Unlike most sub-Saharan African languages, Wolof has no [[Tone (linguistics)|tones]]. Other non-tonal languages of sub-Saharan Africa include [[Amharic]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]] and [[Fula language|Fula]].

==Orthography==
[[File:Church of the Pater Noster Mount of Olives, Jerusalem 19.jpg|thumb|The [[Lord's Prayer]] in Latin-script Wolof, [[Church of the Pater Noster]], Jerusalem. The letters ''ë'', ''é'', ''à'' and ''ñ'' are visible, as are [[geminate]] consonants and long double vowels.]]
''Note:'' Phonetic transcriptions are printed between [[square brackets]] <span style="letter-spacing:3px">[]</span> following the rules of the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] (IPA).

The [[Latin script|Latin]] orthography of Wolof in [[Senegal]] was set by government decrees between 1971 and 1985. The language institute "[[Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar]]" (CLAD) is widely acknowledged as an authority when it comes to spelling rules for Wolof. The complete alphabet is A, À, B, C, D, E, É, Ë, F, G, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, Ŋ, O, Ó, P, Q, R, S, T, U, W, X, Y. The letters H, V, and Z are only used in foreign words.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jangileen.kalam-alami.net/lessons/prononciation|title=Orthographe et prononciation du wolof {{!}} Jangileen|website=jangileen.kalam-alami.net|language=fr|access-date=2017-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Dictionnaire wolof-français et français-wolof |last=Diouf |first=Jean-Léopold |date=2003|publisher=Karthala|isbn=284586454X|pages=35|oclc=937136481}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=J'apprends le wolof Damay jàng wolof |first1=Jean-Léopold |last1=Diouf |first2=Marina |last2=Yaguello |publisher=Karthala|isbn=2865372871|pages=11|oclc=938108174|date = January 1991}}</ref>

Wolof is most often written in this orthography, in which [[phoneme]]s have a clear one-to-one correspondence to [[grapheme]]s. Table below is the Wolof Latin alphabet and the corresponding phoneme. Highlighted letters are only used for loanwords and are not included in native Wolof words.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Wolof Latin alphabet
| A a || À à || B b || C c || D d || E e || É é || Ë ë || F f || G g 
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | H h 
| I i || J j || K k || L l || M m 
|-
| {{IPAblink|ɐ}} || {{IPAblink|a}} ||{{IPAblink|b}} || {{IPAblink|c}} ||{{IPAblink|d}} ||{{IPAblink|ɛ}} || {{IPAblink|e}} || {{IPAblink|ə}} ||{{IPAblink|f}} ||{{IPAblink|ɡ}} 
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" |  ({{IPAblink|h}}) 
| {{IPAblink|i}} ||{{IPAblink|ɟ}} ||{{IPAblink|k}} ||{{IPAblink|l}} ||{{IPAblink|m}} 
|-
| N n || Ñ ñ || Ŋ ŋ || O o || Ó ó || P p || Q q || R r || S s || T t || U u
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | V v 
| W w || X x|| Y y 
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | Z z
|-
| {{IPAblink|n}} || {{IPAblink|ɲ}} || {{IPAblink|ŋ}} || {{IPAblink|ɔ}} || {{IPAblink|o}} ||{{IPAblink|p}} ||{{IPAblink|q}}||{{IPAblink|r}} ||{{IPAblink|s}} ||{{IPAblink|t}} ||{{IPAblink|u}} 
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" |  ({{IPAblink|w}})
|{{IPAblink|w}}||{{IPAblink|x}} ||{{IPAblink|j}}
| bgcolor="#FFEFD5" |  ({{IPAblink|ɟ}}) 
|}

The [[Arabic script|Arabic]]-based script of Wolof, referred to as [[Wolofal alphabet|Wolofal]], was set by the government as well, between 1985 and 1990, although never adopted by a decree, as the effort by the Senegalese ministry of education was to be part of a multi-national standardization effort.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Lorna A |last1=Priest |first2=Martin |last2=Hosken |author3=SIL International |author3-link=SIL International |title=''Proposal to add Arabic script characters for African and Asian languages'' |date=12 August 2010 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2010/10288r-arabic-proposal.pdf |pages=13–18, 34–37}}</ref> This alphabet has been used since pre-colonial times, as the first writing system to be adopted for Wolof, and is still used by many people, mainly Imams and their students in Quranic and Islamic schools.

{| class="wikitable Unicode" dir="rtl"
|+ Wolofal (Arabic) alphabet<ref name="Currah">Currah, Galien (26 August 2015) ''ORTHOGRAPHE WOLOFAL''. [http://currah.download/pages/ajamisenegal/orthographe_wolofal_harmattan_26-aout-2015_a4.pdf Link] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230512170510/http://currah.download/pages/ajamisenegal/orthographe_wolofal_harmattan_26-aout-2015_a4.pdf Archive])</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Lorna A |last1=Priest |first2=Martin |last2=Hosken |author3=SIL International |author3-link=SIL International |title=''Proposal to add Arabic script characters for African and Asian languages'' |date=12 August 2010 |url=http://www.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3882.pdf |pages=13–18, 34–37}}</ref>
|-
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ا}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|∅}}/{{IPAblink|ʔ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ب}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|b}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ݒ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|p}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ت}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|t}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ݖ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|c}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ث}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|s}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ج}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɟ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ح}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|h}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|خ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|x}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|د}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|d}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ذ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɟ}}~{{IPAblink|z}}
|-
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ر}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|r}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ز}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɟ}}~{{IPAblink|z}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|س}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|s}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ش}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|s}}~{{IPAblink|ʃ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ص}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|s}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ض}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|d}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:110%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ط}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|t}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ظ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɟ}}~{{IPAblink|z}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ع}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ʔ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|غ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɡ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ݝ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ŋ}}
|-
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ف}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|f}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ق}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|q}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ک}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|k}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|گ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɡ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ل}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|l}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|م}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|m}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ن}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|n}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ݧ}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|ɲ}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ه}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|h}} 
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|و}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|w}}
| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | <span style="font-size:100%;line-height:1.35;">{{script/Arabic|ي}}</span><br>{{IPAblink|j}} 
|}
{|
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Vowel at the beginning of a word
|-
! A || À || Ë || E || É || I || O || Ó || U
|-
! colspan="9" |Short Vowels
|- dir="rtl"
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اَ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣵ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣴ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣹ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣺ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اِ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣷ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣸ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اُ}}</span>
|-
! colspan="9" |Long Vowels
|-
! colspan="2" | Aa
! Ëe || Ee || Ée || Ii || Oo || Óo || Uu
|- dir="rtl"
| colspan="2" | <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|آ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣴعࣴـ / اࣴعࣴ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣹيـ / اࣹي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣺيـ / اࣺي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اِيـ / اِي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣷو}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اࣸو}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|اُو}}</span>
|}
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Vowel at the middle or end of a word
|-
! a || à || ë || e || é || i || o || ó || u || ∅
|-
! colspan="10" |Short Vowels
|- dir="rtl"
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌َ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣵ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣴ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣹ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣺ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ِ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣷ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣸ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ُ‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ْ}}</span>
|-
! colspan="10" |Long Vowels
|-
! colspan="2" | aa 
! ëe || ee || ée || ii || oo || óo || uu ||
|- dir="rtl"
| colspan="2" | <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌َا‎}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣴعࣴـ / ◌ࣴعࣴ}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣹيـ / ◌ࣹي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣺيـ / ◌ࣺي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ِيـ / ◌ِي}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣷو}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ࣸو}}</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%;line-height:1.65;">{{Script/Arabic|◌ُو}}</span>

|}
|}

Additionally, another script exists: [[Garay alphabet|Garay]], an [[alphabet]]ic script invented by Assane Faye in 1961, which has been adopted by a small number of Wolof speakers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2012/12139-n4261-garay.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819203411/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2012/12139-n4261-garay.pdf |archive-date=2013-08-19 |url-status=live |title=Preliminary proposal for encoding the Garay script in the SMP of the UCS |last1=Everson |first1=Michael |date=26 April 2012 |publisher=UC Berkeley Script Encoding Initiative (Universal Scripts Project)/International Organization for Standardization |access-date=5 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ager |first1=Simon |title=Wolof |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/wolof.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=19 December 2019}}</ref>

The first syllable of words is [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]]ed; long vowels are pronounced with more time but are not automatically stressed, as they are in English.

==Grammar==

===Notable characteristics===

====Pronoun conjugation instead of verbal conjugation====

In Wolof, verbs are unchangeable stems that cannot be conjugated. To express different tenses or aspects of an action, personal pronouns are conjugated&nbsp;– not the verbs. Therefore, the term ''temporal pronoun'' has become established for this part of speech. It is also referred to as a focus form.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UFQbAQAAIAAJ|title=Wolof|last=Ngom|first=Fallou|date=2003-01-01|publisher=Lincom|isbn=9783895868450|language=en}}</ref>

Example: The verb '''dem''' means "''to go''" and cannot be changed; the temporal pronoun '''maa ngi''' means "''I/me, here and now''"; the temporal pronoun '''dinaa''' means "''I am soon / I will soon / I will be soon''". With that, the following sentences can be built now: '''Maa ngi dem.''' "''I am going (here and now).''" – '''Dinaa dem.''' "''I will go (soon).''"

====Conjugation with respect to aspect instead of tense====
In Wolof, tenses like present tense, past tense, and future tense are just of secondary importance and play almost no role. Of crucial importance is the aspect of action from the speaker's point of view. The most vital distinction is whether an action is perfective (finished) or imperfective (still going on from the speaker's point of view), regardless of whether the action itself takes place in the past, present, or future. Other aspects indicate whether an action takes place regularly, whether an action will surely take place and whether an actor wants to emphasize the role of the subject, predicate, or object.{{clarify|date=March 2017|reason=The meanings sound like something other than aspect: evidentiality or focus perhaps.}} As a result, conjugation is done by not tense but aspect. Nevertheless, the term ''temporal pronoun'' is usual for such conjugated pronouns although ''aspect pronoun'' might be a better term.

For example, the verb '''dem''' means "''to go''"; the temporal pronoun '''naa''' means "''I already/definitely''", the temporal pronoun '''dinaa''' means "''I am soon / I will soon / I will be soon''"; the temporal pronoun '''damay''' means "''I (am) regularly/usually''". The following sentences can be constructed: '''Dem naa.''' "''I go already / I have already gone.''" – '''Dinaa dem.''' "''I will go soon / I am just going to go.''" – '''Damay dem.''' "''I usually/regularly/normally/am about to go.''"

A speaker may express that an action absolutely took place in the past by adding the suffix '''-(w)oon''' to the verb (in a sentence, the temporal pronoun is still used in a conjugated form along with the past marker):

'''Demoon naa Ndakaaru.''' "''I already went to Dakar.''"

====Action verbs versus static verbs and adjectives====
Wolof has two main verb classes: [[dynamic verbs|dynamic]] and [[stative verbs|stative]]. Verbs are not inflected; instead pronouns are used to mark person, aspect, tense, and focus.<ref>{{cite book|first1=George|last1=Campbell|first2=Gareth|last2=King|year=2011|title=The Concise Compendium of the World's Languages|edition=2}}</ref>{{rp|779}}

====Consonant harmony====
{{Empty section|date=January 2025}}

====Gender====
Wolof does not mark natural gender as [[grammatical gender]]: there is one pronoun encompassing the English 'he', 'she', and 'it'. The descriptors '''bu góor''' (male / masculine) or '''bu jigéen''' (female / feminine) are often added to words like ''xarit'', 'friend', and ''rakk'', 'younger sibling' to indicate the person's sex.

Markers of noun definiteness (usually called "definite articles") agree with the noun they modify. There are at least ten articles in Wolof, some of them indicating a singular noun, others a plural noun. In Urban Wolof, spoken in large cities like Dakar, the article '''-bi''' is often used as a generic article when the actual article is not known.

Any loan noun from French or English uses '''-bi: butik-bi, xarit-bi''' "the boutique, the friend."

Most Arabic or religious terms use '''-Ji: Jumma-Ji, jigéen-ji''', "the mosque, the girl."

Four nouns referring to persons use ''-ki/-ñi: nit-ki, nit-ñi'', "the person, the people"

Plural nouns use ''-yi: jigéen-yi, butik-yi'', "the girls, the boutiques"

Miscellaneous articles: "si, gi, wi, mi, li."

===Numerals===

====Cardinal numbers====

The Wolof numeral system is based on the numbers 5 ([[quinary]]) and 10 ([[decimal]]). It is extremely regular in formation, comparable to [[Chinese numerals#Reading and transcribing numbers|Chinese]]. Example: '''benn''' "''one''", '''juróom''' "''five''", '''juróom-benn''' "''six''" (literally, "five-one"), '''fukk''' "''ten''", '''fukk ak juróom benn''' "''sixteen''" (literally, "ten and five one"), '''ñent-fukk''' "''forty''" (literally, "four-ten"). Alternatively, "thirty" is '''fanweer''', which is roughly the number of days in a lunar month (literally "fan" is day and "weer" is moon.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|0
|'''tus''' / '''neen''' / '''zéro''' [French] / '''sero''' / '''dara''' ["nothing"]
|-
|1
|'''benn'''
|-
|2
|'''ñaar''' / '''yaar'''
|-
|3
|'''ñett''' / '''ñatt''' / '''yett''' / '''yatt'''
|-
|4
|'''ñeent''' / '''ñenent'''
|-
|5
|'''juróom'''
|-
|6
|'''juróom-benn'''
|-
|7
|'''juróom-ñaar'''
|-
|8
|'''juróom-ñett'''
|-
|9
|'''juróom-ñeent'''
|-
|10
|'''fukk'''
|-
|11
|'''fukk ak benn'''
|-
|12
|'''fukk ak ñaar'''
|-
|13
|'''fukk ak ñett'''
|-
|14
|'''fukk ak ñeent'''
|-
|15
|'''fukk ak juróom'''
|-
|16
|'''fukk ak juróom-benn'''
|-
|17
|'''fukk ak juróom-ñaar'''
|-
|18
|'''fukk ak juróom-ñett'''
|-
|19
|'''fukk ak juróom-ñeent'''
|-
|20
|'''ñaar-fukk'''
|-
|26
|'''ñaar-fukk ak juróom-benn'''
|-
|30
|'''ñett-fukk''' / '''fanweer'''
|-
|40
|'''ñeent-fukk'''
|-
|50
|'''juróom-fukk'''
|-
|60
|'''juróom-benn-fukk'''
|-
|66
|'''juróom-benn-fukk ak juróom-benn'''
|-
|70
|'''juróom-ñaar-fukk'''
|-
|80
|'''juróom-ñett-fukk'''
|-
|90
|'''juróom-ñeent-fukk'''
|-
|100
|'''téeméer'''
|-
|101
|'''téeméer ak benn'''
|-
|106
|'''téeméer ak juróom-benn'''
|-
|110
|'''téeméer ak fukk'''
|-
|200
|'''ñaari téeméer'''
|-
|300
|'''ñetti téeméer'''
|-
|400
|'''ñeenti téeméer'''
|-
|500
|'''juróomi téeméer'''
|-
|600
|'''juróom-benni téeméer'''
|-
|700
|'''juróom-ñaari téeméer'''
|-
|800
|'''juróom-ñetti téeméer'''
|-
|900
|'''juróom-ñeenti téeméer'''
|-
|1000
|'''junni''' / '''junne'''
|-
|1100
|'''junni ak téeméer'''
|-
|1600
|'''junni ak juróom-benni téeméer'''
|-
|1945
|'''junni ak juróom-ñeenti téeméer ak ñeent-fukk ak juróom'''
|-
|1969
|'''junni ak juróom-ñeenti téeméer ak juróom-benn-fukk ak juróom-ñeent'''
|-
|2000
|'''ñaari junni'''
|-
|3000
|'''ñetti junni'''
|-
|4000
|'''ñeenti junni'''
|-
|5000
|'''juróomi junni'''
|-
|6000
|'''juróom-benni junni'''
|-
|7000
|'''juróom-ñaari junni'''
|-
|8000
|'''juróom-ñetti junni'''
|-
|9000
|'''juróom-ñeenti junni'''
|-
|10000
|'''fukki junni'''
|-
|100000
|'''téeméeri junni'''
|-
|1000000
|'''tamndareet''' / '''million'''
|}

====Ordinal numbers====
[[Ordinal numeral|Ordinal numbers]] (first, second, third, etc.) are formed by adding the ending '''–éél''' (pronounced ayl) to the [[cardinal number (linguistics)|cardinal number]].

For example, two is '''ñaar''' and second is '''ñaaréél'''

The one exception to this system is "first", which is '''bu njëk''' (or the adapted French word ''premier'': '''përëmye''')

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|1st
|''' bu njëk '''
|-
|2nd
|''' ñaaréél'''
|-
|3rd
|''' ñettéél'''
|-
|4th
|'''ñeentéél'''
|-
|5th
|''' juróoméél'''
|-
|6th
|'''juróom-bennéél'''
|-
|7th
|'''juróom-ñaaréél'''
|-
|8th
|'''juróom-ñettéél'''
|-
|9th
|'''juróom-ñeentéél'''
|-
|10th
|'''fukkéél'''
|}

===Personal pronouns===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" |
!colspan="2"| subject
!colspan="2"| object
|-
! singular !! plural
! singular !! plural
|- 
! 1st person
| man
| nun
| ma
| nu
|- 
! 2nd person
| yow
| yeen
| la
| leen
|-
! 3rd person
| moom
| ñoom
| ko
| leen
|}

===Temporal pronouns===

====Conjugation of the temporal pronouns====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |
! colspan="2" | 1st person
! colspan="2" | 2nd person
! colspan="2" | 3rd person
|-
! singular !! plural
! singular !! plural
! singular !! plural
|- style="font-style:italic;"
! "I"
! "we"
! "you"
! "you all"
! "he/she/it"
! "they"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Situative (Presentative)
! Perfect
| maa ngi
| nu ngi
| yaa ngi
| yéena ngi
| mu ngi
| ñu ngi
|-
! Imperfect
| maa ngiy
| nu ngiy
| yaa ngiy
| yéena ngiy
| mu ngiy
| ñu ngiy
|-
! rowspan="2" | Terminative
! Perfect
| naa
| nanu
| nga
| ngeen
| na
| nañu
|-
! Future
| dinaa
| dinanu
| dinga
| dingeen
| dina
| dinañu
|-
! rowspan="2" | Objective
! Perfect
| laa
| lanu
| nga
| ngeen
| la
| lañu
|-
! Imperfect
| laay
| lanuy
| ngay
| ngeen di
| lay
| lañuy
|-
! rowspan="2" | Processive<br>(Explicative and/or Descriptive)
! Perfect
| dama
| danu
| danga
| dangeen
| dafa
| dañu
|-
! Imperfect
| damay
| danuy
| dangay
| dangeen di
| dafay
| dañuy
|-
! rowspan="2" | Subjective
! Perfect
| maa
| noo
| yaa
| yéena
| moo
| ñoo
|-
! Imperfect
| maay
| nooy
| yaay
| yéenay
| mooy
| ñooy
|-
! rowspan="2" | Neutral
! Perfect
| ma
| nu
| nga
| ngeen
| mu
| ñu
|-
! Imperfect
| may
| nuy
| ngay
| ngeen di
| muy
| ñuy
|}

In urban Wolof, it is common to use the forms of the 3rd person plural also for the 1st person plural.

It is also important to note that the verb follows specific temporal pronouns and precedes others.

== Examples ==

=== Sample phrases<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn Wolof with uTalk |url=https://utalk.com/en/store/wolof |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=utalk.com |language=en}}</ref> ===
{| class="wikitable"
!English
!Wolof
|-
|Hello.
|Nuyu naala.
|-
|Yes.
|Waaw.
|-
|Yes please.
|Waaw jërëjëf.
|-
|No.
|Déedet.
|-
|No thanks.
|Baax na, jërëjëf.
|-
|Please.
|Ma ngi lay ñaan.
|-
|Thank you.
|Jërëjëf.
|-
|Thank you very much.
|Maangilay sant bu baax.
|-
|You're welcome.
|Ñoo ko bokk.
|-
|I'd like a coffee please.
|Kafe laa bëgg, nga baalma.
|-
|Excuse me.
|Nga baalma.
|-
|What time is it?
|Ban waxtu moo jot?
|-
|Can you repeat that please?
|Baamtuwaat ko, nga baalma?
|-
|Please speak more slowly.
|Waxal ndank.
|-
|I don't understand.
|Xawma li nga bëgg wax.
|-
|Sorry.
|Baal ma.
|-
|Where are the toilets?
|Ani wanag yi?
|-
|How much does this cost?
|Bii ñaata lay jar?
|-
|Welcome!
|Dalal-jàmm! 
|-
|Good morning.
|Suba ak jàmm. 
|-
|Good afternoon.
|Ngoonu jàmm. 
|-
|Good evening.
|Guddig jàmm. 
|-
|Good night.
|Ñu fanaan ci jàmm. 
|-
|Goodbye.
|Ba beneen yóon.
|}

== Literature ==
The [[New Testament]] was translated into Wolof and published in 1987, second edition 2004, and in 2008 with some minor typographical corrections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblewolof.com/ |title=Biblewolof.com |publisher=Biblewolof.com |access-date=2013-04-15}}</ref>

[[Boubacar Boris Diop]] published his novel ''Doomi Golo'' in Wolof in 2002.<ref>Encyclopedia of African Literature, p 801</ref>

The 1994 song "[[7 Seconds (song)|7 Seconds]]" by [[Youssou N'Dour]] and [[Neneh Cherry]] is partially sung in Wolof.

=== Oral literature ===

In his 1865 collection of West African proverbs, ''[https://archive.org/details/witandwisdomfro01burtgoog Wit and Wisdom from West Africa]'',<ref>Burton, Richard (1865). ''[https://archive.org/details/witandwisdomfro01burtgoog Wit and Wisdom from West Africa]''.</ref> [[Richard Francis Burton]] included a selection of over 200 Wolof proverbs in both Wolof and English translation<ref>[https://archive.org/details/witandwisdomfro01burtgoog/page/n38/mode/2up Burton 1865], pp. 3-37.</ref> drawn from [[Jean Dard]]'s ''Grammaire Wolofe'' of 1826.<ref>Dard, Jean (1826). ''[https://archive.org/details/grammairewolofe02dardgoog/ Grammaire Wolofe]''.</ref> Here are some of those proverbs:
*"''Jalele sainou ane na ainou guissetil dara, tey mague dieki thy soufe guissa yope.''" "The child looks everywhere and often sees nought, but the old man, sitting on the ground, sees everything." (#2)
*"''Poudhie ou naigue de na jaija ah taw, tey sailo yagoul.''" "The roof fights with the rain, but he who is sheltered ignores it." (#8)
*"''Sopa bour ayoul, wandy bour bou la sopa a ko guenne.''" "To love the king is not bad, but a king who loves you is better." (#16)
*"''Lou mpithie nana, nanetil nane ou gneye.''" "The bird can drink much, but the elephant drinks more." (#68)

[[Birago Diop]] based his ''[[Tales of Amadou Koumba]]'' on oral tales from Wolof griots.

In the appendix to his [[iarchive:folktalesfromgam0001unse/page/205/mode/1up|''Folktales from the Gambia'']], Emil Magel, a professor of African literature and of Swahili,<ref>[https://www.harrodbrothers.com/obituaries/Emil-Anthony-Magel/#!/Obituary Obituary for Emil Anthony (Terry) Magel, 1945-2024]. ''Harrod Brothers Funeral Home''. Accessed July 23 2024.</ref> included the Wolof text of the story of "The Donkeys of Jolof," "''Fari Mbam Ci Rew i Jolof''"<ref>Magil, Emil (1984). ''[https://archive.org/details/folktalesfromgam0001unse/page/204/mode/2up?view=theater Folktales from the Gambia: Wolof Fictional Narratives]''. pp. 205-208.</ref> accompanied by an English translation.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/folktalesfromgam0001unse/page/154/mode/2up?view=theater Magil 1984], pp. 154-157.</ref>

In his ''Grammaire de la Langue Woloffe'' published in 1858, David Boilat, a Senegalese writer and missionary,<ref>[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095515703 Boilat, David, abbé (1814—1901)] ''Oxford Reference.'' Accessed July 23 2024.</ref> included a selection of Wolof proverbs, riddles and folktales accompanied by French translations.<ref>Boilat, David (1858). ''[https://archive.org/details/grammairedelalan00boil/page/372/mode/2up?view=theater Grammaire de la Langue Woloffe]''. pp. 372-412.</ref>

[https://archive.org/details/dutieddoautalibe0000kest/ ''Du Tieddo au Talibé''] by [[:fr:Lilyan Kesteloot|Lilyan Kesteloot]] and Bassirou Dieng, published in 1989,<ref>Kesteloot, Lilyan; Dieng, Bassirou. (1989). ''[https://archive.org/details/dutieddoautalibe0000kest/ Du Tieddo au Talibé: Contes et Mythes Wolof ]''.</ref> is a collection of traditional tales in Wolof with French translations. The stories come from the Wolof monarchies that ruled Senegal from the 13th to the beginning of the 20th century.

== Sample text ==
Article 1 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]

{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Translation || Latin Script || Wolofal (Arabic) Script
|-
| All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
| {{lang|wo|Doomi aadama yépp danuy juddu, yam ci tawfeex ci sag ak sañ-sañ. Nekk na it ku xam dëgg te ànd na ak xelam, te war naa jëflante ak nawleen, te teg ko ci wàllu mbokk.}}
| {{rtl-para|wo-Arab|دࣷومِ آدَمَ يࣺݒّ دَنُيْ جُدُّ، يَمْ ݖِ تَوفࣹيخْ ݖِ سَگْ اَکْ سَݧْ-سَݧْ. نࣹکّ نَ اِتْ کُ خَمْ دࣴگّ تࣹ اࣵ‎ندْ نَ خࣹلَمْ، تࣹ وَرْ نَا جࣴفْلَنْتࣹ اَکْ نَوْلࣹينْ، تࣹ تࣹگْ کࣷ ݖِ وࣵلُّ مبࣷکّ.}}
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Languages|Africa}}
* [[Pidgin Wolof]]
* [[List of proposed etymologies of OK]]

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
;Linguistics
* {{cite book |first=Gabriele Aïscha |last=Bichler |chapter=Bejo, Curay und Bin-bim? Die Sprache und Kultur der Wolof im Senegal (mit angeschlossenem Lehrbuch Wolof) |title=Europäische Hochschulschriften |volume=90 |publisher=Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe |location=Frankfurt am Main |year=2003 |isbn=3-631-39815-8}}
* {{cite journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216084113/http://www.sudlangues.sn/article82.html |url=http://www.sudlangues.sn/article82.html |archive-date=2006-12-16 |date=February 2005 |title=Linguistique de la langue et linguistique du discours. Deux approches complémentaires de la phrase wolof, unité sémantico-syntaxique. |journal=Sudlangues |first=Momar |last=Cisse}}
* {{cite journal |first=Mamadou |last=Cissé |title=Graphical borrowing and African realities |journal=Revue du Musée National d'Ethnologie d'Osaka |date=June 2000}}
* {{cite journal |first=Mamadou |last=Cissé |title="Revisiter 'La grammaire de la langue wolof' d'A. Kobes (1869), ou étude critique d'un pan de l'histoire de la grammaire du wolof |journal=Sudlangues: Revue électronique internationale de sciences du langage |volume=4 |url=http://www.sudlangues.sn/IMG/pdf/doc-93.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708233916/http://www.sudlangues.sn/IMG/pdf/doc-93.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-08}}
* {{cite book |first=Omar |last=Ka |title=Wolof Phonology and Morphology |publisher=University Press of America |location=Lanham, MD |year=1994 |isbn=0-8191-9288-0}}
* {{cite journal |first=Fiona |last=McLaughlin |title=Dakar Wolof and the configuration of an urban identity |journal=Journal of African Cultural Studies |volume=14 |issue=2 |year=2001 |pages=153–172|doi=10.1080/13696810120107104 }}
* {{cite book |last=McLaughlin |first=Fiona |chapter=Senegal: urban Wolof then and now |title=Urban Contact Dialects and Language Change |pages=47–65 |publisher=Routledge |year=2022}}
* {{cite journal |author-link2=Stéphane Robert (linguist) |last2=Robert |first2=Stéphane  |author-link1=Annie Rialland |last1=Rialland |first1=Annie |year=2001 |title=The intonation system of Wolof |journal=Linguistics |volume=39 |issue=5 |pages=893–939 |doi=10.1515/ling.2001.038|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00382680 }}
* {{cite book |first=Leigh |last=Swigart |chapter=Two codes or one? The insiders' view and the description of codeswitching in Dakar |editor-first=Carol M. |editor-last=Eastman |title=Codeswitching |date=1992 |publisher=Multilingual Matters |isbn=1-85359-167-X}}
* {{cite book |first=Harold |last=Torrence |title=The Clause Structure of Wolof: Insights into the Left Periphery |publisher=Benjamins |year=2013}}
* {{cite journal |first=Carla |last=Unseth |title=Vowel Harmony in Wolof |journal=Occasional Papers in Applied Linguistics |volume=7 |year=2009 |publisher=Dallas International University |url=https://diu.edu/documents/OPAL/No-7-Unseth-Wolof-Vowel-Harmony.pdf}}

; Grammar
* {{cite book |first=Sana |last=Camara |title=Wolof Lexicon and Grammar |publisher=NALRC Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-59703-012-0}}
* {{cite book |first=Pathé |last=Diagne |title=Grammaire de Wolof Moderne |publisher=Présence Africaine |location=Paris |year=1971}}
* {{cite book |first=Jean-Léopold |last=Diouf |title=Grammaire du wolof contemporain |publisher=Karthala |location=Paris |year=2003 |isbn=2-84586-267-9}}
* {{cite book |first1=Jean-Léopold |last1=Diouf |first2=Marina |last2=Yaguello |title=J'apprends le Wolof – Damay jàng wolof |publisher=Karthala |location=Paris |year=1991 |isbn=2-86537-287-1}} {{emdash}} 1 textbook with 4 audio cassettes.
* {{cite book |first=Michael |last=Franke |title=Kauderwelsch, Wolof für den Senegal – Wort für Wort |publisher=Reise Know-How Verlag |location=Bielefeld |year=2002 |isbn=3-89416-280-5}}
* {{cite book |first1=Michael |last1=Franke |first2=Jean Léopold |last2=Diouf |author-link3=Konstantin Pozdniakov |first3=Konstantin |last3=Pozdniakov |title=Le wolof de poche – Kit de conversation |publisher=Assimil |location=Chennevières-sur-Marne, France |year=2004 |isbn=978-2-7005-4020-8}} {{emdash}} (Phrasebook/grammar with 1 CD).
* {{cite book |first=Pape Amadou |last=Gaye |title=Wolof: An Audio-Aural Approach |publisher=United States Peace Corps |year=1980}}
* {{cite book |first1=Michel |last1=Malherbe |first2=Cheikh |last2=Sall |title=Parlons Wolof – Langue et culture |publisher=L'Harmattan |location=Paris |year=1989 |isbn=2-7384-0383-2}} {{emdash}} this book uses a simplified orthography which is not compliant with the CLAD standards; a CD is available.
* {{cite book |first=Fallou |last=Ngom |title=Wolof |publisher=LINCOM |location=Munich |year=2003 |isbn=3-89586-616-4}}
* {{cite book |first=Amar |last=Samb |title=Initiation a la Grammaire Wolof |publisher=Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire, Université de Dakar |location=Ifan-Dakar |year=1983}}

; Dictionaries
* {{cite book |first=Mamadou |last=Cissé |title=Dictionnaire Français-Wolof |publisher=L’Asiathèque |location=Paris |year=1998 |isbn=2-911053-43-5}}
* Arame Fal, Rosine Santos, Jean Léonce Doneux: ''Dictionnaire wolof-français (suivi d'un index français-wolof)''. Karthala, Paris, France 1990, {{ISBN|2-86537-233-2}}.
* Pamela Munro, Dieynaba Gaye: ''Ay Baati Wolof&nbsp;– A Wolof Dictionary''. UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics, No. 19, Los Angeles, California, 1997.
* Peace Corps Gambia: ''Wollof-English Dictionary'', PO Box 582, Banjul, the Gambia, 1995 (no ISBN; this book refers solely to the dialect spoken in the Gambia and does not use the standard orthography of CLAD).
* Nyima Kantorek: ''Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook'', Hippocrene Books, 2005, {{ISBN|0-7818-1086-8}} (this book refers predominantly to the dialect spoken in the Gambia and does not use the standard orthography of CLAD).
* Sana Camara: ''Wolof Lexicon and Grammar'', NALRC Press, 2006, {{ISBN|978-1-59703-012-0}}.

; Official documents
* [[Government of Senegal]], Décret n° 71-566 du 21 mai 1971 relatif à la transcription des langues nationales, modifié par décret n° 72-702 du 16 juin 1972.
* Government of Senegal, Décrets n° 75-1026 du 10 octobre 1975 et n° 85-1232 du 20 novembre 1985 relatifs à l'orthographe et à la séparation des mots en wolof.
* Government of Senegal, Décret n° 2005-992 du 21 octobre 2005 relatif à l'orthographe et à la séparation des mots en wolof.

==External links==
{{InterWiki|code=wo}}
{{commons category}}
{{Scholia|topic}}
{{Wikivoyage|Wolof phrasebook|Wolof|a phrasebook}}
*Wolof resource (Mofeko, Omotola Akindipe & Joanna Senghore), [https://wolof.mofeko.com/ Largest online resource to learn Wolof (with Gambian influence)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160306064343/https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-wolof/id597219957?mt=8/ Easy wolof (iPhone application)]
*[http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/wolof-language-resources/ Wolof Language Resources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602222359/http://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/wolof-language-resources/ |date=2008-06-02 }}
*[http://www.wolofresources.org/language/wolof_language_guide.htm An Annotated Guide to Learning the Wolof Language]
*[http://www.wolofonline.com/ Wolof Online]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=GeDqX9GrUwMC&q=dictionnaire+wolof A French-Wolof-French dictionary] partially available at Google Books.
*[http://www.bisharat.net/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Wolof PanAfrican L10n page on Wolof]
*[http://www.osad-sn.com/ OSAD spécialisée dans l’éducation nonformelle et l’édition des Ouvrages en Langues nationales] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513111252/http://www.osad-sn.com/ |date=2008-05-13 }}

{{Languages of the Gambia}}
{{Languages of Mauritania}}
{{Languages of Senegal}}
{{Atlantic languages}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolof Language}}
[[Category:Wolof language| ]]
[[Category:Senegambian languages]]
[[Category:Languages of the Gambia]]
[[Category:Languages of Senegal]]
[[Category:Languages of Mauritania]]
[[Category:Wolof people]]