Senegambian

Senegambian is an umbrella term used in different scholarly and popular contexts to describe things associated with the Senegambia region, which comprises Senegal and The Gambia along the Atlantic coast of West Africa.

Geographically and culturally, the Senegambia area is a historically interconnected zone shaped by the Senegal and Gambia rivers. The region is ethnically diverse, with major groups such as Wolof, Serer, Fula (Fulani), Jola (Diola), and Mandinka, among others. Islam is a major religious influence, and centuries of trade, state formation, and cultural exchange have shaped language, art, and social practices in the area.

In linguistic usage, Senegambian has been used to denote a proposed language grouping, sometimes referred to as the Senegambian languages, that would unite several West African languages spoken in the Senegambia region. This classification is controversial and not widely accepted in contemporary linguistic scholarship; most linguists place these languages within larger Niger-Congo sub-branches and Atlantic-Congo lineages rather than in a distinct Senegambian family.

As a term, Senegambian therefore reflects both a geographic-cultural concept and a historical, sometimes contested linguistic label. Its precise meaning depends on whether the discussion centers on the region’s peoples and history or on attempts to classify its languages.

See also: Senegambia, Jolof Empire, Wolof language, Serer people, Fulani.