Customer Reviews

Wolof-English/English-Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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".

I've studied Wolof with a native speaker from Senegal. This book definitely came in handy, though in large part it is based on the Wolof spoken in Gambia. I recommend this book nonetheless to anyone who wants to learn Wolof. This was a real find at a fair price.

I am happy with this purchase. The book is a great resource. It seems like the spelling in the book may be a bit off, but once you get the hang of it, I think you can be understood if you follow their pronounciations.