| Pulaar | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali |
| Ethnicity | Toucouleur, Fula |
| Native speakers | 3.7 million (2006) |
| Language family |
Niger–Congo
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | fuc |
Pulaar is a Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by Fula people and Tukolor (or Toorobe) in the Senegal River valley area traditionally known as Futa Tooro, and further south and east. Pulaar speakers, known as Haalpulaar'en live in Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and western Mali.
According to Ethnologue there are several dialect differences, but all are inherently intelligible.
Pulaar is not to be confused with Pular, another variety of Fula spoken in Guinea-Conakry (including the Fouta Jallon region). The Pulaar and Pular varieties of Fula are to some extent mutually intelligible, but require a separate literature.
Pulaar is written in a modified Latin alphabet but historically was written in an Arabic script known as ajami (see Fula orthographies).
The negative accomplished verb form ends in -aani. (This is slightly different from Maasina Fulfulde and Pular.)