A Study of Fula Dialects : Examining the Continuous/Stative Constructions

Due to the complex distribution of its speakers, Fula is diMcult to explore in its dialectal aspects.However, it is well recognized that there is a great dialectal difference between the language as spoken westward from northwestern Nigeria and as spoken eastward, i.e. the so-called Adamawa dialect.This paper attempts to find exactly where the west/east bouhdary of Fula dialects lies, through examining the elements which mark continuous/stative aspect, such as personal pronouns (mido, emi, hidu, etc.) and consttuctions with na/no.In the course of the study it becomes quite evident that the continuous/stative markers can be a good indicator for Fula dialect studies.As a result, although we need more data to draw a clearer demarcation line, it seems from this research the line is somewhere around the Sokoto area of Nigeria.