Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Fula language
open-in-new
<p>Fula , also known as Fulani (/fʊˈlɑːniː/ fuu-LAH-nee) or Fulah (<i>Fulfulde</i>, <i>Pulaar</i>, <i>Pular</i>; <a href="/facts/Adlam_script/5ybS0tBM">Adlam</a>: 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤬𞤵𞤤𞤣𞤫, 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤪, 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪; <a href="/facts/Ajami_script/qPRD3Pvs">Ajami</a>: ࢻُلْࢻُلْدٜ, ݒُلَارْ, بُۛلَر), is a <a href="/facts/Senegambian_languages/TvbC33BU">Senegambian</a> language spoken by around 36.8 million people as a set of various dialects in a <a href="/facts/Dialect_continuum/0QAuqxp3">continuum</a> that stretches across some 18 countries in <a href="/facts/West_Africa/oV8Dk0kp">West</a> and <a href="/facts/Central_Africa/ufJ003ex">Central Africa</a>. Along with other related languages such as <a href="/facts/Serer_language/5eYuDt0J">Serer</a> and <a href="/facts/Wolof_language/5DSHvUYc">Wolof</a>, it belongs to the <a href="/facts/Atlantic_languages/UXc9CXGM">Atlantic</a> geographic group within <a href="/facts/Niger%25E2%2580%2593Congo_languages/K0kStJHg">Niger–Congo</a>, and more specifically to the <a href="/facts/Senegambian_languages/TvbC33BU">Senegambian</a> branch. Unlike most Niger-Congo languages, Fula does not have <a href="/facts/Tone_(linguistics)/eprhXrWJ">tones</a>. </p><p>It is spoken as a <a href="/facts/First_language/1yK3tnLb">first language</a> by the <a href="/facts/Fula_people/A7SYUdXz">Fula people</a> ("Fulani", Fula: <i>Fulɓe</i>) from the <a href="/facts/Senegambia/190QB1au">Senegambia region</a> and <a href="/facts/Guinea/MaBu4ysQ">Guinea</a> to <a href="/facts/Cameroon/QnrdY05C">Cameroon</a>, <a href="/facts/Nigeria/gbW17BX8">Nigeria</a>, and <a href="/facts/Sudan/yGeaNdvS">Sudan</a> and by related groups such as the <a href="/facts/Toucouleur_people/1IBQNfJw">Toucouleur people</a> in the <a href="/facts/Senegal_River/qdPmyD3F">Senegal River</a> Valley. It is also spoken as a <a href="/facts/Second_language/aUqAzeNK">second language</a> by various peoples in the region, such as the <a href="/facts/Kirdi/dMdgCqkG">Kirdi</a> of northern Cameroon and northeastern <a href="/facts/Nigeria/gbW17BX8">Nigeria</a>. </p>