Wolof language - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Wolof_language#Notable_characteristics
In his 1865 collection of West African proverbs, Wit and Wisdom from West Africa (https://archiv
e.org/details/witandwisdomfro01burtgoog),[30] Richard Francis Burton included a selection of
over 200 Wolof proverbs in both Wolof and English translation[31] drawn from Jean Dard's
Grammaire Wolofe of 1826.[32] Here are some of those proverbs:
▪ "Jalele sainou ane na ainou guissetil dara, tey mague dieki thy soufe guissa yope." "The child
looks everywhere and often sees nought, but the old man, sitting on the ground, sees
everything." (#2)
▪ "Poudhie ou naigue de na jaija ah taw, tey sailo yagoul." "The roof fights with the rain, but he
who is sheltered ignores it." (#8)
▪ "Sopa bour ayoul, wandy bour bou la sopa a ko guenne." "To love the king is not bad, but a
king who loves you is better." (#16)
▪ "Lou mpithie nana, nanetil nane ou gneye." "The bird can drink much, but the elephant drinks
more." (#68)
Birago Diop based his Tales of Amadou Koumba on oral tales from Wolof griots.
In the appendix to his Folktales from the Gambia, Emil Magel, a professor of African literature and
of Swahili,[33] included the Wolof text of the story of "The Donkeys of Jolof," "Fari Mbam Ci Rew i
Jolof"[34] accompanied by an English translation.[35]
In his Grammaire de la Langue Woloffe published in 1858, David Boilat, a Senegalese writer and
missionary,[36] included a selection of Wolof proverbs, riddles and folktales accompanied by
French translations.[37]
Du Tieddo au Talibé (https://archive.org/details/dutieddoautalibe0000kest/) by Lilyan Kesteloot
and Bassirou Dieng, published in 1989,[38] is a collection of traditional tales in Wolof with French
translations. The stories come from the Wolof monarchies that ruled Senegal from the 13th to the
beginning of the 20th century.
Sample text
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Translation Latin Script Wolofal (Arabic) Script
All human beings are born free and equal Doomi aadama yépp danuy juddu, ݖ ِ ﻢ ْ َ ﻳ،ﻲ ُﺟﱡﺪ ْ � َدُﻧ ّ م ࣺﻳ َ ࣷدوِم آَد
in dignity and rights. They are endowed yam ci tawfeex ci sag ak sañ-sañ. ﮏّ ࣹﻧ.�ْﺳ َ -�ْﺳ َ ک ْ َﮓ ا ْ ﺳ َ ݖ ِ َﺗﻮࣹﻓﻴْﺦ
with reason and conscience and should Nekk na it ku xam dëgg te ànd na ak ،ﻢ
ْ ﻠ َ ﺧ
ࣹ نَ ْﺪ ﻧا
ࣵ ت
ࣹ گ
ّ ࣴ ْ َ ک
د ﻢ ﺧ ُ ت ْ َِن ا
act towards one another in a spirit of xelam, te war naa jëflante ak ﮓ
ْ ت ࣹﺗ ࣹ ،ک َﻧْﻮࣹﻟﻴْﻦ ْ َﺖ ا ࣹ ت َوْر َﻧﺎ ࣴﺟْﻔَﻠْﻨ ࣹ
brotherhood. nawleen, te teg ko ci wàllu mbokk. .ﮏ ﺒ ﻣ ﱡ
ل و ݖ ک
ّ ࣷ ࣵ ِ ࣷ
See also
▪ Pidgin Wolof
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