Serer language page

Classification and where spoken

Sauvageot (personal communication, 1986) reports that "Serer belongs to the Senegal Group of West Atlantic, and is spoken in Senegal and Gambia. In Senegal it is spoken in the region of Sine, along the Atlantic coast (from Fadiout to Palmarin) and in part in the region of Baol and Saloum in contact with Wolof."

Number of speakers

Grimes (1996) notes 868,800 Serer speakers. Sauvageot (personal communication, 1986) gives a figure of 400,000 speakers while, UBS (l982) notes 700,000 and the Senegalese 1960 census reported 306,000. Voegelin and Voegelin (1977) report 300,000 speakers.

Usage

Serer is a national language in Senegal but is used primarily as a local first language.

Orthographic status

Serer has an orthography standardized by Senegalese government decree in l975 (see Bibliography), but not all conventions are agreed upon.

Sets of learning materials

Presumably one set of materials would be sufficient.