Serer language


Serer, often broken into differing regional dialects such as Serer-Sine and Serer saloum, is a language of the Senegambian branch of Niger–Congo spoken by 1.2 million people in Senegal and 30,000 in the Gambia as of 2009. It is the principal language of the Serer people.

Classification

Serer is one of the Senegambian languages, which are characterized by consonant mutation. The traditional classification of Atlantic is that of Sapir, which found that Serer was closest to Fulani. However, a widely cited misreading of the data by Wilson inadvertently exchanged Serer for Wolof.
Dialects of Serer are Serer Sine, Segum, Fadyut-Palmerin, Dyegueme, and Niominka. They are mutually intelligible except for the Sereer spoken in some of the areas surrounding the city of Thiès.
Not all Serer people speak Serer. About 200,000 speak Cangin languages. Because the speakers are ethnically Serer, they are commonly thought to be Serer dialects. However, they are not closely related, and Serer is significantly closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.

Phonology

Consonants

The voiceless implosives are highly unusual sounds. /ˀj/ is not listed below, but exists in the language.

Vowels

Writing System

Greetings

The following greetings and responses are spoken in most regions of Senegal that have Serer speakers.
Spatial awareness is very important in Sereer. For example, this exchange is only for the household in question is not nearby. Certain grammatical changes would occur if it were said in a home the greeter has just entered:
In Senegalese culture, greetings are very important. Sometimes, people will spend several minutes greeting each other.