2016
XX, 122 pp.
1 map, 1 colour diagram (Diagram of kinship relations)
Text language: English
Saafi-Saafi (also known as Safi or Sereer-Safen) is a Cangin language of the Atlantic branch of Niger-Congo, spoken in Senegal (Pichl 1966). Saafen is the name for the area(s) in which Saafi-Saafi is spoken. There are an estimated 200,000 speakers of the language (Lewis et al. 2015), situated primarily in 60 villages across the Thiès region near Dakar. According to Ethnologue (Lewis et al. 2015), there are five dialects of Saafi-Saafi: Boukhou, Sébikotane, Sindia, Hasab, and Diobass. The present work describes aspects of the Sébikotane variety as spoken in and around the town of Sébikotane.
The only other published material on Saafi-Saafi is Mbodj’s (1983) doctoral dissertation on the Boukhou variety and three short articles (Dijkstra 2012, Faye and Dijkstra 2005, and Dijkstra and Dijkstra 1997).
This dictionary developed out of work initially conducted in a field methods course at Indiana University during the academic year 2011–2012. Subsequently, additional time was devoted to compiling lexical items from various extant sources as well as from several individual speakers. The dictionary is intended to fulfill two purposes: First, it represents a contribution to the meager published sources that are available on Saafi-Saafi in general, and on the Sébikotane variety in particular. Second, it provides, as part of this introductory guide and in the appendices, some basic information on several aspects of the grammar—noun classes, definiteness and specificity, pronoun paradigms, verb forms and derivations.
The dictionary contains approximately 1,600 headwords for the Sébikotane variety of Saafi-Saafi. Although modest in size, this represents much of the basic vocabulary in the language. The appendices include a listing of kinship terms, noun classes, definiteness marking, pronoun paradigms, numbers, names for days / months / seasons, verb suffixes, and verb tense / aspect marking. This dictionary is intended to serve as a basic resource both for linguists and for those interested in Saafi-Saafi.
Under these links you will find descriptions of further (West)Atlantic languages and publications by Robert Botne:
