Safen language explained

Safene
Nativename:	Saafi-Saafi
States:	Senegal
Ethnicity:	Saafi people
Speakers:	200,000
Date:	2012
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Fam2:	Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:	Senegambian
Fam4:	Cangin
Iso3:	sav
Glotto:	saaf1238
Glottorefname:	Saafi-Saafi
Script:	Latin, Arabic

Safene (Saafen), Safi^[1] or Saafi-Saafi, is the principal Cangin language, spoken by 200,000 people in Senegal. Speakers are heavily concentrated in the area surrounding Dakar, particularly in the Thiès Region.

Orthography

The Safen language is written in either the Arabic or the Latin script. The official orthography uses a Latin alphabet with 23 consonants and 5 vowels.^[2]

Alphabet
A	B		C	D		E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N			O	P	R	S	T	U	W	Y		’
a	b	ɓ	c	d	ɗ	e	f	g	h	i	j	k	l	m	n	ñ	ŋ	o	p	r	s	t	u	w	y	ƴ	’

Bibliography

• Walter Pichl, The Cangin Group - A Language Group in Northern Senegal, Pittsburgh, PA : Institute of African Affairs, Duquesne University, Coll. African Reprint Series, 1966, vol. 20
• Chérif Mbodj, Recherches sur la phonologie et la morphologie de la langue saafi. Le parler de Boukhou, Université de Nice, 1984

Notes and References

1. Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
2. News: Decret989 . . May 27, 2006 . Décret n° 2005-989 du 21 octobre 2005 . Decree 2005-989 of 21 October 2005 . fr . Journal officiel de la République du Sénégal . Dakar .