Serer
Encyclopedia
The Cangin languages ˈtʃaŋin are spoken by 200,000 people (as of 2007) in a small area east of Dakar
. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people
who do not speak the Serer language (Serer-Sine). Because the people are ethnically Serer, the Cangin languages are commonly thought to be dialects of the Serer language. However, they are not closely related; Serer is closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.
The languages are:
Lehar and Noon are particularly close, as are Ndut and Palor, though not quite to the point of easy intelligibility. Safen is transparently closer to Lehar–Noon.
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
who do not speak the Serer language (Serer-Sine). Because the people are ethnically Serer, the Cangin languages are commonly thought to be dialects of the Serer language. However, they are not closely related; Serer is closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.
The languages are:
- Safen, or Saafi-Saafi, the language of the Serer-Safene. Spoken inland from the Petite Côte, an area southeast of Dakar. The largest Cangin language, with over 100,000 speakers and growing (2007).
- Lehar (Laalaa), the language of the Serer-LaalaaSerer-LaalaaThe Serer-Laalaa are an ethnic group belonging to the Serer people of Senegambia. They speak the Laalaa dialect of the proper Serer-Sine language. Their dialect is part of the Cangin languages which is referred to as Laalaa in their language...
(or Serer-Lehar), spoken in a small area north of ThiesThièsThiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...
. - NoonNoon languageNoon is a Cangin language of Senegal. Ethnologue reports that it is 84% cognate with Lehar, essentially a divergent dialect, and 68% cognate with the other Cangin languages....
, the language of the Serer-NoonSerer-NoonThe Serer-Noon are an ethnic people who occupy western Senegal. They are part of the Serer people.- Territory :...
, spoken around ThiesThièsThiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...
. - Palor, the language of the Serer-Palor, spoken in a small area between RufisqueRufisqueRufisque is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 . In the past it was an important port city in its own right, but is now a suburb of Dakar....
and ThiesThièsThiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...
. - NdutNdut languageNdut is a Cangin language of Senegal. Ethnologue reports that it is 84% cognate with Palor, essentially a divergent dialect, and 68% cognate with the other Cangin languages....
, the language of the Serer-NdutSerer-NdutThe Serer-Ndut also spelt are an ethnic group in Senegal numbering 38600They are part of the Serer people who collectively make up the third largest ethnic group in Senegal...
, spoken in the Mont-Roland, an area northwest of ThiesThièsThiès is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies 60 km east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-Louis...
and in the Kingdom of BiffecheBiffecheBiffeche or Bifeche is an area of Senegal centred on the town of Savoigne, some 20 miles north-east of the major coastal city of Saint-Louis....
on the Senegal RiverSénégal RiverThe Sénégal River is a long river in West Africa that forms the border between Senegal and Mauritania.The Sénégal's headwaters are the Semefé and Bafing rivers which both originate in Guinea; they form a small part of the Guinean-Malian border before coming together at Bafoulabé in Mali...
.
Lehar and Noon are particularly close, as are Ndut and Palor, though not quite to the point of easy intelligibility. Safen is transparently closer to Lehar–Noon.