Safene (''Saafen''), Safi
[Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. ''Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification''. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.] or Saafi-Saafi, is the principal
Cangin language
The Cangin languages are spoken by 200,000 people (as of 2007) in a small area east of Dakar, Senegal. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people who do not speak the Serer language (''Serer-Sine''). Because the people are ethnically Ser ...
, spoken by 200,000 people in
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠ðž ...
. Speakers are heavily concentrated in the area surrounding
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
, particularly in the
Thies Region Thies may refer to
* Thiès, a city in Senegal
**Université de Thiès in Senegal
**Olympique Thiès, a Senegalese football club
**Roman Catholic Diocese of Thiès
**Thiès Department
*Thiès Region in western Senegal
*Thies (name)
See also
*Thier ...
.
Orthography
The Safen language is written in either the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
or the
Latin script
The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Italy ...
.
The official orthography uses a Latin alphabet with 23 consonants and 5 vowels.
Notes
Bibliography
* Walter Pichl, ''The Cangin Group - A Language Group in Northern Senegal'', Pittsburgh, PA : Institute of African Affairs, Duquesne University, Coll. African Reprint Series, 1966, vol. 20
* Chérif Mbodj, ''Recherches sur la phonologie et la morphologie de la langue saafi. Le parler de Boukhou'', Université de Nice, 1984
Languages of Senegal
Cangin languages
{{Senegal-stub