Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook [Paperback]

Nyima Kantorek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0781810868 | ISBN-13: 978-0781810869 | Edition: Bilingual

Wolof is spoken by more than 5 million people in the Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania. This bilingual dictionary & phrasebook, based on the spoken Wolof of the Gambia, is an essential resource for travelers in the region. The Wolof orthography, unique to this volume, is specially designed to be user-friendly for English speakers. * More than 3,000 total dictionary entries * Comprehensive phrasebook * Easy-to-use pronunciation guide * Includes cultural information and a brief history of the Gambian people

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author is native Gambian who owns and operates the African Heritage Gallery in Dallas Texas. She lives with her husband and three children in the Dallas area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books; Bilingual edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781810868
• ISBN-13: 978-0781810869
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > African > Instruction

More About the Author

Hello, and welcome to my page! My name is Nyima Kantorek, and I am a native of The Gambia, West Africa. I grew up in Serre Kunda, but I was a frequent visitor at my grandparents house in Banjul.
I migrated to this great country, the United States of America, over two decades ago where I completed my higher education.
I reside in Dallas, Texas with my husband and children, and I am a Middle School Mathematics Teacher. I enjoy writing books and taking roadtrips with my husband and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Restricted to the Gambian dialect, May 27, 2006

By 

K. J. Leipoldt (Bonn, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook (Paperback)

The reader should be informed that this dictionary refers to the Gambian dialect of Wolof. As most books on Gambian Wolof, it does not use the standard orthography as specified by the language institute CLAD (Centre de linguistique appliquée de Dakar), which means that it will become a difficult task when trying to cross-reference with other books on Wolof.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook, October 2, 2006

By 

J. Buchea "Toubab Diablo" (New Britain, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook (Paperback)

Yes,
It is far different than the Wolof that I now, which I learned in Senegal. It seems the Gambian dialect may have more of a Mandinka and Jolla influence. Many of the phrases are different, the spellings seem a little awkward, and the words themselves have changed shape, i.e. spelling and pronunciation, or if not, often are totally different words altogether. Its sort of like reading Appalachian English. I always found the standard Senegalese orthography perfectly condusive to English pronunciation, moreso than to French even. But with these criticisms, I find it a well put together book, and given the affordability of it, and the lack of available texts on this subject, its definately worth having and referencing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not helpful at all for Senegal, January 12, 2011

By 

nycjpk - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook (Paperback)

I bought this book before going to Senegal for work. I have since learned the language and am almost fluent. This book should not be purchased if you intend on going to Senegal. I'm not sure what the Gambian accent is like, but this book will make you sound ridiculous if you use it in Senegal. It looks like the author wrote the book and then decided to throw a ton of unnecessary r's into every word. An example: to say hello in Wolof, you say salaamalekum (yes, the same as in Arabic) and in Senegal it sounds exactly as it is written, but this book suggests you say "sarmarlaikum", which would just make you sound like Yosemite Sam. This is one example of many where the author's attempt to change the orthography makes the book useless for (Senegalese) Wolof. Wolof does have a standardized orthography which is actually quite easy for non-Wolof speakers because every letter is always pronounced the same way.. once you know that 'x' is pronounced like 'kh', 'c' is pronounced like 'ch' and that there is no 'sh' sound , you will have no problem reading a word in Wolof that is spelled properly.

I have no comment on the vocabulary because there are differences in vocabulary in Senegalese and Gambian Wolof and I'm not knowledgeable about them.

Maybe its not wise to buy a book that claims the language is spoken by "more than 5 million people" in the region, which while being true, would be more accurate if it said "more than 12 million people".