Haalpulaar identity as a response to Wolofization∗

Laughlin, Fiona Mc

doi:10.1080/09544169508717793

Cited by 24 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…An earlier study on language and identity in Senegal (McLaughlin 1995) shows that language is a key factor in self-reported adaptation strategies of people who move back and forth on a regular basis from Dakar, where they work, to other parts of the country where their families live. Signi cantly, many people reported that they spoke Wolof one way at home and another way in Dakar.…”

Section: Urban Identitymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In this case, individuals fall back on language as a determiner of ethnicity. Since language and ethnicity in many other Senegalese contexts are still a major aspect of identity (McLaughlin 1995), the ready-made concept is maintained in urban identity; but when there is nothing to ll it, it becomes vacuous. Seen in this way, Baaba Maal's choice to sing in Wolof is not a switch in allegiance away from the language of his own ethnic group and towards that of another; it is simply a way to re ect the urban focus of the song.…”

Section: Urban Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dakar Wolof and the configuration of an urban identity

McLaughlin¹

2001

Journal of African Cultural Studies

133

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The turbulent period of political and social unrest at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s in Senegal gave rise to the l movement in which the city of Dakar was recreated in the historical imagination of its youth. This essay argues that the movement coincided with the emergence of a self-conscious urban identity among the Dakar population , evidenced by a variety of artistic expression that focuses on and exalts the culture of the city. Central to the notion of an urban identity is the role of Dakar Wolof, a variety of the language that has signi cantly diverged from the more conservative dialects spoken in the rural areas, primarily by incorporatin g massive lexical borrowing from French. Dakar Wolof is portrayed in sustained written form for the rst time in two comics that appeared during this period: Boy Dakar by Ibou Fall and Aziz Bâ, and Ass et Oussou by Omar Diakité. This essay discusses the hybrid nature of Dakar Wolof and its depiction in written form in the two comics. Finally, it is argued that Dakar Wolof has had a profound effect on the notion of ethnicity in the Senegalese context and has contributed to the emergence of a de-ethnicized urban identity.

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Section: Urban Identitymentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Urban Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dakar Wolof and the configuration of an urban identity

McLaughlin¹

2001

Journal of African Cultural Studies

133

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“…The latter designates two related languages spoken in Senegal, Peul (Fula) and Tukuloor. For more on Pulaar and the identity of those who speak it, see McLaughlin 1995. 8. The extent to which Islam has merged with indigenous life and languages can be inferred by the view many Senegalese have of Arabic loan words.…”

Section: (4) Hostmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Limits of Legitimacy: Language Ideology and Shift in Contemporary Senegal

Swigart

2000

J Linguistic Anthropol

101

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Current sociolinguistic patterns in Dakar, Senegal, suggest that the French language shares its position as legitimate language, in the sense suggested by Bourdieu, with a mixed Wolof/French code that enjoys no official recognition. This contradiction is explored through the examination of a historic public speech delivered by Senegal's president in 1988 and the linguistic ideologies that the various reactions to this speech represent. It will be seen that the growing use of "Urban Wolof" during the last decade in the informal economic sector, the mass media, and advertising both reflects and reinforces the emergence of a new ideology that attributes an "alternative legitimacy" to this linguistic hybrid.

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“…In Banjul and the Kanifing Municipality, children of multiethnic parents increasingly grow up speaking Wolof as a first language and it is often also the preferred language of communication in ethnically mixed gatherings, for example school playgrounds and market places. This process of Wolofisation as described for Senegal (Mc Laughlin 1995;Ngom 2004) takes a similar shape in The Gambia. The Wolofisation of ethnic identities (Ngom 2004), however, may not be as pervasive in The Gambia as in Senegal, as it appears it is taking the form not of ethnic assimilation but of increased multilingualism, with Wolof becoming a more evident second or subsequent language.…”

Section: Wolofmentioning

confidence: 86%