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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Mauritania

Languages of Mauritania

See language map.
[See also SIL publications on the languages of Mauritania.]
Islamic Republic of Mauritania, République Islamique de Mauritanie. 2,963,000. National or official language: Hassaniyya. There are many tribes, castes, or clans of whom little is known. Literacy rate: 17%–28%. Immigrant languages: American Sign Language, Bambara, French, Korean (60,000). Also includes Tamasheq. Information mainly from Applegate 1970; A. Gerteiny 1967. The number of individual languages listed for Mauritania is 6. Of those, all are living languages.
Hassaniyya

[mey] 2,770,000 in Mauritania (2006), increasing. Population total all countries: 3,123,190. Also in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Western Sahara. Alternate names: Hasanya, Hasanya Arabic, Hassani, Hassaniya, Hassaniyya Arabic, Klem El Bithan.  Dialects: Not intelligible with other Arabic varieties. The ‘Nemadi’ (Ikoku) are an ethnic group of 200 (1967) that speak Hassaniyya, but they have special morphemes for dogs, hunting, and houses. They are nomadic between Mali and Mauritania.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic 
More information.

Imeraguen

[ime] 530 (2000), decreasing. Near Nouakchott, from Cape Timiris to Nouadhibou. Alternate names: Imraguen.  Dialects: Reportedly a variety of Hassaniyya structured on an Azer (Soninke) base.  Classification: Unclassified 
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Pulaar

[fuc] 192,000 in Mauritania (2006).  Alternate names: Peul.  Dialects: Toucouleur (Tukulor, Pulaar, Haalpulaar).  Classification: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Atlantic, Northern, Senegambian, Fulani-Wolof, Fula, Western 
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Soninke

[snk] 39,000 in Mauritania (2006). Chamama region. Alternate names: Aswanik, Gadyaga, Marka, Sarakole, Sarawule, Serahuli, Silabe, Toubakai, Wakore.  Dialects: Azer (Adjer, Aser).  Classification: Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Northwestern, Soninke-Bobo, Soninke-Boso, Soninke 
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Wolof

[wol] 12,000 in Mauritania (2006), increasing.  Alternate names: Ouolof, Volof, Walaf, Yallof.  Dialects: Baol, Cayor, Dyolof (Djolof, Jolof), Lebou, Ndyanger.  Classification: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Atlantic, Northern, Senegambian, Fula-Wolof, Wolof 
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Zenaga

[zen] 200 in Mauritania, decreasing. South, Mederdra to Atlantic coast. Also in Senegal. Dialects: Related to other Berber languages in basic structure though specific features are quite different.  Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Zenaga 
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