Fulfulde

Fulfulde, also known as Fula, Fulani, Pulaar, or Pular, is a Niger-Congo language spoken by the Fula (Fulɓe) people across a wide corridor of West and Central Africa. It comprises many regional varieties, and mutual intelligibility varies among dialects. Depending on the area, speakers refer to the language with different names, reflecting local identities and geography.

The language is found from Senegal and Mauritania in the west across the Sahel to Cameroon and Chad in the east, with substantial speech communities in Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. Dialect groups include Pulaar (in Senegal, Mauritania, and parts of nearby countries), Maasina Fulfulde (central Mali), and Adamawa Fulfulde (northern Nigeria and adjacent areas), among others. Fulfulde often functions as a lingua franca in multiethnic regions, especially among pastoral and trading communities.

Writing and standardization: Fulfulde is written mainly with a Latin-based alphabet in modern contexts, and Ajami (Arabic script) is used in some communities for religious and traditional texts. Orthographic norms vary by country and school system, and literacy efforts have grown through media, literature, and education programs in several countries.

Linguistic features and status: The language exhibits noun-class systems with agreement and, in many dialects, phonemic tone. Verb forms and word order show regional variation, and African language policy has supported its use in local media and school contexts where possible. With tens of millions of speakers, Fulfulde remains a key cultural and communicative resource for the Fula people.