Jola languages

Jola or Diola is a dialect continuum spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. It belongs to the Bak branch of the Niger–Congo language family.

Not to be confused with Dyula language.

Jola
Diola
Geographic distribution	The Gambia, Senegal (esp. Casamance) and Guinea-Bissau
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Bak–Bijago Bak proper Jola–Papel Jola
Subdivisions	Bayot Jola proper
Glottolog	nucl1345  (Nuclear Jola)[1] bayo1255  (Bayot)[2]

Languages

The primary branches of Jola proper and to some extent Central Jola are not mutually intelligible. The main varieties are:

• Bayot
• Jola proper
  • Kwatay (Kuwaataay), spoken along the coast south of the Casamance River.
  • Karon–Mlomp
    • Karon, spoken along the coast of Casamance south of Diouloulou.
    • Mlomp
  • Central Jola
    • Jola-Fonyi (Kujamatay), spoken around Bignona. The official standard.
    • Bandial, spoken in a small area south of the Casamance River.
    • Gusilay, spoken in the village of Thionck Essyl.
    • Jola-Felupe (Ediamat), spoken in a handful of villages south of Oussouye in Oussouye Department. Kerak may be a dialect.
    • (Jola) Kasa, spoken around Oussouye.

Bayot

Bayot, spoken around Ziguinchor, is grammatically Jola apart from a non-Jola pronominal system, but maybe half its vocabulary is non-Jola and even non-Atlantic. It may therefore be a language isolate with substantial Jola borrowing (relexification). In any case it is clearly distinct from (other) Jola languages.

References

1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Nuclear Jola". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Kugere-Kuxinge". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

External links

• Kujamaat Jóola Folklore and Language materials