Borgu Fulfulde Language
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Borgu Fulfulde, also known as Borgu Fulani, Benin-Togo Fulfulde, Fulbe-Borgu, or Peul is a variety of the
Fula language Fula ( ),Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student's Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani ( ) or Fulah (, , ; Adlam script, Adlam: , , ; Ajami script, Ajami: , , ), is a Senegambian languages, Senegambian language spoken by arou ...
a West Atlantic language part of the Niger-Congo language family, it is spoken primarily in the
Borgou Department Borgou is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Borgou borders the country of Nigeria and the departments of Alibori Department, Alibori, Atakora Department, Atakora, Collines Department, Collines and Donga Department, Donga. The capital of B ...
of Benin, spanning
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, other parts of
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
, as well as
Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...
and parts of
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
. Phonologically, Borgu Fulfulde exhibits a system of vowel and consonant sounds, with a notable presence of glottalized and nasalized consonants. Morphologically, the language is agglutinative, forming words through the addition of prefixes and suffixes to root morphemes. The grammatical structure is characterized by a system of noun class agreement, where various affixes indicate the gender and number of nouns. Word order in Borgu Fulfulde typically follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) pattern, and the language employs postpositions rather than prepositions for expressing spatial and temporal relationships. Syntactically, it features a system of verb conjugations that indicate tense, aspect, and mood. Borgu Fulfulde traditionally uses the
Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet, also known as the Roman alphabet, is the collection of letters originally used by the Ancient Rome, ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered except several letters splitting—i.e. from , and from â ...
for written communication, although in some regions, an adapted version of the
Arabic script The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic (Arabic alphabet) and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world (after the Latin script), the second-most widel ...
or Ajami is also employed.


Origins

The presence of Borgu Fulfulde in Benin can be attributed to historical migrations and interactions among the
Fula people The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...
. The Fula, also known as Fulani, are a nomadic or semi-nomadic ethnic group spread across West Africa. They have a long history of migration and have settled in various regions over time. Fula communities gradually migrated to the Borgu region, which spans parts of
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
,
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
, and
Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
. This movement could have been influenced by factors such as search for pastureland for their livestock, trade opportunities, or escaping conflicts. As they settled in the Borgu region, the Fula people adapted to local conditions, leading to the development of Borgu Fulfulde, a variety of the
Fula language Fula ( ),Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student's Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani ( ) or Fulah (, , ; Adlam script, Adlam: , , ; Ajami script, Ajami: , , ), is a Senegambian languages, Senegambian language spoken by arou ...
specific to the region.


References

{{reflist Fula language