Serer language

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Niger–Congo language spoken in Senegal and Gambia

title: "Serer language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["serer-language", "serer-people", "languages-of-senegal", "languages-of-the-gambia", "languages-of-mauritania"] description: "Niger–Congo language spoken in Senegal and Gambia" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serer_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Niger–Congo language spoken in Senegal and Gambia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]

Field	Value
name	Serer
nativename	Seereer سࣹيرࣹيرْ‎
states	Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania
speakers	million
date	2021–2022
ref	e27
familycolor	Niger-Congo
fam2	Atlantic–Congo
fam3	West Atlantic
fam4	Senegambian
script	Arabic
Latin
agency	CLAD (Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar)
stand1	Seereer-Siin
iso2	srr
iso3	srr
glotto	sere1260
glottorefname	Sereer
notice	IPA
ethnicity	Serer
::

Serer, often broken into differing regional dialects such as Serer-Sine and Serer-Saloum, is a language of the Senegambian branch of the Niger–Congo family spoken by 1.2 million people in Senegal and 30,000 in the Gambia as of 2009. It is the principal language of the Serer people, and was the language of the early modern kingdoms of Sine, Saloum, and Baol. Serer is primarily written in the Latin alphabet.

Classification

Serer is one of the Senegambian languages, which are characterized by consonant mutation. The traditional classification of Atlantic languages is that of Sapir (1971), which found that Serer was closest to Fulani. However, a widely cited misreading of the data by Wilson (1989) inadvertently exchanged Serer for Wolof. Dialects of Serer are Serer Sine (the prestige dialect), Segum, Fadyut-Palmerin, Dyegueme (Gyegem), and Niominka. They are mutually intelligible except for the Sereer spoken in some of the areas surrounding the city of Thiès.

Not all Serer people speak Serer. About 200,000 speak Cangin languages. Because the speakers are ethnically Serer, they are commonly thought to be Serer dialects. However, they are not closely related, and Serer is significantly closer to Fulani (also called Pulbe, Pulaar, or Fulbe) than it is to Cangin.

Phonology

Consonants

The voiceless implosives are highly unusual sounds.

::data[format=table]

Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal	Nasal	Stop	voiceless	voiced	prenasal	Implosive	voiceless	voiced	Flap	Fricative	Approximant









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Vowels

::data[format=table]

Front	Back	Close	Mid	Open



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Writing system

Serer today is primarily written in Latin alphabet. The Latin alphabet has been standardized in various government decrees, the latest of which was issued in 2005.

However, historically, similar to Wolof language, its first writing system was the adaption of the Arabic Script. The Arabic script is used today as well, albeit in a smaller scale, and only mostly limited to Islamic school teachers and students. The Arabic-based script of Serer was set by the government as well, between 1985 and 1990, although never adopted by a decree, as the effort by the Senegalese ministry of education was to be part of a multi-national standardization effort. The script is referred to as "Serer Ajami script" (In Serer: ajami seereer, ).

Serer Latin alphabet

::data[format=table title=""]


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Serer Ajami script

There are 29 letters in Serer Ajami script. The list does not include consonants that are used exclusively in Arabic loanwords and do not occur in Serer words, nor does it include digraphs used for showing prenasalized consonants.

::data[format=table title="Serer Letters"]

Name	Forms	Sound represented	Latin equivalent	Example	Notes	Isolated	Final	Medial
srr
ا}}		ا}}		- / a	اُوݒْ}}	ooparaab
srr
ب}}	ـب}}	ـبـ}}	بـ}}		b	بَنَانَ}}	banaana
srr
ݒ}}	ـݒ}}	ـݒـ}}	ݒـ}}		p	فَاݒْ}}	faap
srr
ࢠ}}	ـࢠ}}	ـࢠـ}}	ࢠـ}}		ɓ	ࢠَلِگْ}}	ɓalig
srr
ݕ}}	ـݕ}}	ـݕـ}}	ݕـ}}		ƥ	ݕِيݕْ}}	ƥiiɓ
srr
ت}}	ـت}}	ـتـ}}	تـ}}		t	ݧࣷوتْ}}	ñoot
srr
ݖ}}	ـݖ}}	ـݖـ}}	ݖـ}}		c / ʃ	ݖَاݖِ}}	caaci
srr
ج}}	ـج}}	ـجـ}}	جـ}}		j	جُعࣷوخْ}}	juoox
srr
ڃ}}	ـڃ}}	ـڃـ}}	ڃـ}}		ƴ	ڃࣹیوْ}}	ƴeew
srr
ࢢ}}	ـࢢ}}	ـࢢـ}}	ࢢـ}}		ƈ	ࢢَارْ}}	ƈaar
srr
خ}}	ـخ}}	ـخـ}}	خـ}}		x	خَارِيتْ}}	xaariit
srr
د}}		د}}		d	دࣷونَا}}	doonaa
srr
ر}}		ر}}		r	رِيتِ}}	riiti
srr
س}}	ـس}}	ـسـ}}	سـ}}		s	سُݒِتْ}}	supit
srr
ط}}	ـط}}	ـطـ}}	طـ}}		ɗ	طِيسْ}}	ɗiis
srr
ࢣ}}	ـࢣ}}	ـࢣـ}}	ࢣـ}}		ƭ	وَاࢣْ}}	waaƭ
srr
ع}}	ـع}}	ـعـ}}	عـ}}	- /	- / '	اِسْرَعࣹلْ}}	Israel	‌
srr
ݝ}}	ـݝ}}	ـݝـ}}	ݝـ}}		ŋ	ݝَتْ}}	ŋat
srr
ف}}	ـف}}	ـفـ}}	فـ}}		f	فࣷوفِ}}	foofi
srr
ق}}	ـق}}	ـقـ}}	قـ}}		q	اَ قࣷوقْ اَلࣹ}}	a qooq ale
srr
ک}}	ـک}}	ـکـ}}	کـ}}		k	اَکࣷيْ}}	akoy
srr
گ}}	ـگ}}	ـگـ}}	گـ}}		g	جࣷگࣷݧْ}}	jogoñ
srr
ل}}	ـل}}	ـلـ}}	لـ}}		l	لَکَسْ}}	lakas
srr
م}}	ـم}}	ـمـ}}	مـ}}		m	مُکَندࣷونگّ}}	mukandoong
mbaax
srr
ن}}	ـن}}	ـنـ}}	نـ}}		n	نࣷمْتُ}}
nomtu
nju'ax
srr
ݧ}}	ـݧ}}	ـݧـ}}	ݧـ}}		ñ	رࣵݧِّ}}	ràññi
srr
و}}		و}}		w	وَتْ}}
wat
pindooƭ
srr
ه}}	ـه}}	ـهـ}}	هـ}}		h	اَبْرَهَمْ}}	abraham
srr
ي}}	ـي}}	ـيـ}}	يـ}}		y	يِݒُ}}
yipu
riiti
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Prenasalized consonants are written as a digraph (combination of two consonants). While historically, there were single letter alternatives, these letters are no longer used. Prenasalized consonants are constructed using meem (م) or noon (ن) in combination with other consonants. The letter meem (م) appears in pairs with beh (ب), whereas the letter noon (ن) appears in pairs with dal (د), jeem (ج), qaf (ق), and geh (گ).

Prenasalized consonants cannot take the zero-vowel diacritic sukun (◌ْ). If they are at the end of the word and have no vowels, they will take the gemination diacritic shadda (◌ّ).

In prenasalized consonants, the first letter of the digraph, namely either meem (م) or noon (ن), is written with no diacritic. This is what distinguishes them from consonant sequences.

Some Serer-speaking authors treat these digraphs as their own independent letters.

::data[format=table title="Serer Ajami prenasalized Consonant Digraphs"]

Forms	Sound represented	Latin equivalent	Example	Isolated	Final	Medial
مب}}	ـمبّ}}	ـمبـ}}	مبـ}}	mb	مبُودْ}}	mbuud
ند}}	ـندّ}}	ـند}}	ند}}	nd	ندَبِدْ}}	ndabid
نج}}	ـنجّ}}	ـنجـ}}	نجـ}}	nj	نجࣹکْ}}	njek
نق}}	ـنقّ}}	ـنقـ}}	نقـ}}	nq	نقࣹيخْ}}	nqeex
نگ}}	ـنگّ}}	ـنگـ}}	نگـ}}	ng	نگُلࣷوکْ}}	ngulook
::

Serer Ajami script, like its parent system, the Arabic script, and like other Ajami scripts, is an abjad. This means that only consonants are represented with letters. Vowels are shown with diacritics. As a matter of fact, writing of diacritics, including zero-vowel (sukun) diacritic as per the orthographic are mandatory.

Arabic has 3 vowels, and thus 3 vowel diacritics. But in Serer, there are 5 vowels, and as all vowels are shown with diacritics in Serer. This means that on top of the 3 original diacritics, 2 additional ones have been created.

Vowels in Wolof are also distinguished by length, short and long. Short vowels are only shown with a diacritic. Similar to Arabic, long vowels are indicated by writing alif (ا), waw (و), or yeh (ي). But unlike Arabic, this does not mean that the vowel diacritic can be dropped. It cannot, as there 5 vowels and not 3.

For vowel "a" (◌َ), the vowel is lengthened (aa) with an alif (ا)
For vowels "e" or "i", the vowel is lengthened (ee, ii) with a yeh (ي).
For vowels "o" or "u", the vowel is lengthened (oo, uu) with a waw (و).

When vowels appear at the beginning of the word, an alif (ا) is used as the carrier of the vowel. If a long vowel is at the beginning of the word, an alif, an alif (ا) is used as the carrier of the vowel, followed by either waw (و) or yeh (ي) as appropriate. The exception is when a word starts with the long vowel "Aa". Instead of two alifs (اا) being used, an alif-maddah (آ) is used.

::data[format=table title="Vowel diacritics in Serer Ajami"] | Sukun(Zero-vowel) | Short | Long | -a || -i || -u || -e || -o || -aa || -ii || -uu || -ee || -oo | |---|---|---|---| | ◌ْ}} | ◌َ}} | ◌ِ}} | ◌ُ}} | ::

::data[format=table title="Vowel at the beginning of word"] | Short | Long | A || I || U || E || O || Aa || Ii || Uu || Ee || Oo | |---|---|---| | اَ}} | اِ}} | اُ}} | ::

Greetings

The following greetings and responses are spoken in most regions of Senegal that have Serer speakers.

Nam fi'o? ('how are you doing?')
Mexe meen ('I am here')
Ta mbind na? ('how is the family' or more literally 'how is the house?')
Awa maa ('they are good' or more literally 'they are there')

Spatial awareness is very important in Sereer. For example, this exchange is only for when the household in question is not nearby. Certain grammatical changes would occur if the greetings were exchanged in a home that the greeter has just entered:

Ta mbind ne? ('how is the family/house [which is here]?')
Awa meen ('they are good' or more literally 'they are here')

In Senegalese Sereer culture like many cultures in that region, greetings are very important. Sometimes, people will spend several minutes greeting each other.

Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

::data[format=table] | Translation || Latin Script || Serer Ajami Script | |---| | All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. | ::

Notes

Bibliography

References

[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GM Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International, Ethnologue.com. Figures for (2006) The Gambia only.]
Sapir, David, 1971. "West Atlantic: an inventory of the languages, their noun-class systems and consonant alternation". In Sebeok, ed, ''Current trends in linguistics,'' 7: ''linguistics in sub-Saharan Africa''. Mouton, 45–112
{{Harvcoltxt. Mc Laughlin. 2005
Gouvernement du Sénégal, ''Décret N° 2005-990 du 21 octobre 2005''.
(12 August 2010). "''Proposal to add Arabic script characters for African and Asian languages''".
Andaam a ajami seereer - Ndax o jang too bind a seereer na pindooƭ a araab / Alphabétisation - Cours pour apprendre à lire et à écrire le sérère en caractères arabes (5 July, 2014) [http://paul-timothy.net/pages/ajamisenegal/syllabaire_ajami_serere_harmattan_05-jul-2014.pdf Link] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230518202807/http://paul-timothy.net/pages/ajamisenegal/syllabaire_ajami_serere_harmattan_05-jul-2014.pdf Archive])

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