SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The present thesis takes the form of a descriptive analysis of the two dialects of Pulaar/Fulfulde, as found in Fuuta Jaloo (Republic of Guinea) and Fuuta Tooro (Republic of Senegal). The work is in six major parts. The first part is devoted to the phonology and the orthography (Chapter 1). The second part deals with the nominal system; General introduction (Chapter 2), distribution of classes in the two dialects (Chapter 3), Numerals (Chapter 4), noun substitutes and specifiers (Chapter 5). The third part is concerned with the verbal system; Chapter 6 deals with an introductory survey of the verbal piece. Chapter 7 concentrates on the tenses of the indicative mood whereas Chapter 8 takes a look at the tenses of the indicative mood and the forms of the imperative. In Chapters 9, 10 and 11 various patterns related to the verbal system are discussed and compared. Derivative infixes (Chapter 9), past anterior affix (Chapter 10), subject and object pronouns (Chapter 11). In the fourth part an attempt is made to examine verbo-nominals (Chapter 12). The fifth part deals with the other parts of speech, which include adverbs and prepositions (Chapter 13), ideophones and onomatopes (Chapter 14). Concluding remarks are made in the sixth and final part (Chapter 15). The latter Chapter makes a summary of the previous findings which allow us to reach the conclusion that there are many similarities between the dialects of Fuuta Jaloo and Fuuta Tooro; that, in spite of the differences, there is a very high degree of mutual intelligibility between the Pulaar of Fuuta Jaloo and the Pulaar/Tukuloor of Fuuta Tooro, such that these are without doubt two closely related dialects of the same language.