dyo ISO 639
Jóola fóoñi Autonyms
Jola-Fonyi
Visualizations
A language of Senegal
- ISO 639
- dyo
- Alternate Names
- Diola, Diola-Fogny, Dyola, Jola, Jola-Fogny, Joola-Fogny, Jóola, Kujamataak, Kújoola, Kújoolaak kati Kúfooñaak, Kújoolaay, Yola
- Autonym
- Jóola fóoñi
- Population
- 340,000 in Senegal. 243,000 Fonyi, 96,700 Buluf. 34,000 monolinguals. Total users in all countries: 457,000.
- Location
- Sédhiou region: Casamance river area north of Senegal-Gambia border; Ziguinchor region: Bignona area and east and southeast of Ziguinchor town.
- Language Maps
- Senegal and The Gambia
- Language Status
- 5 (Developing). Recognized language (2001, Constitution, Article 1).
- Classification
- Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Atlantic, Northern, Bak, Jola, Jola Proper, Jola Central, Jola-Fonyi
- Dialects
- Buluf, Kombo, Kalounaye, Narang. Jola-Fonyi is the largest and most widely understood Jola variety. Lexical similarity: 68% with Jola-Kasa [csk].
- Language Use
- Vigorous. All domains, oral and written use in administration, informal use in education. Oral use in commerce, traditional religion, some use in other religious services. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Many also use French [fra], as the language of education and government (Diouf et al 2017). Many also use Wolof [wol], as the language of commerce and interethnic communication (Sarr and Thiaw 2012). Also use Guinea-Bissau Creole [pov]. Also use Mandinka [mnk]. Used as L2 by Bandial [bqj], Bayot [bda], Gusilay [gsl], Karon [krx], Kuwaataay [cwt], Mankanya [knf], Mlomp [mlo], Pulaar [fuc].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: 10%. Experimental pilot classes since 2002. Buluf dialect seems to have many lexical items different from Fonyi, but Buluf speakers are willing to learn to read Fonyi. Radio. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2012.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn].
- Other Comments
- Distinct from Jula [dyu] (Dioula, Dyoula, Dyula) of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire. Muslim, Christian, traditional religion.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Jola-Fonyi
Also Spoken in
- Location
- West Coast division: southwest.
- Language Status
- 6a (Vigorous)
- Language Use
- The largest and most widely understood Jola variety. Used by all. Many also use English [eng], as the language of education and government (Biel 2014). Also use Gambian Wolof [wof], as the language of commerce and media (Biel 2014). Also use Mandinka [mnk], as the secondary LWC for commerce and media (Biel 2014). Used as L2 by Karon [krx].
- Other Comments
- Muslim, Christian, traditional religion. View other languages of Gambia
Language Name
Jola-Fonyi
User Population
117,000 in Gambia (2018).
