Languages of the Gambia

Languages of the Gambia
Sign in English at a Gambian ministry
OfficialEnglish
RecognisedMandinka, Pulaar, Wolof, Soninke, Jola, Serer, Manjak, Bainouk, Portuguese Creole
VernacularGambian English
ForeignFrench[1]
SignedGambian Sign Language
Keyboard layout

In The Gambia, Mandinka is spoken as a first language by 38% of the population, Pulaar by 21%, Wolof by 18%, Soninke by 9 percent, Jola by 4.5 percent, Serer by 2.4 percent, Manjak and Bainouk by 1.6 percent each, Portuguese Creole by 1 percent, and English by 0.5 percent. Smaller numbers speak several other languages. Gambian Sign Language is used by the deaf. English is the main language for official purposes and education.[2]

  1. ^ Organisation internationale de la francophonie. La langue française dans le monde, édition 2014 (in French). Nathan. p. 229..
  2. ^ Gambia. Ethnologue 24, 2021