FSI Fula Basic Course

Fula is the name given to a continuum of dialects that is spoken in a number of countries across West and Central Africa. According to the introduction to this course, it is used by “cattle raising and farming peoples of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroun” as well as in some neighboring areas.

Unlike other related languages, it doesn’t have tones, making it slightly easier for speakers for English to pick up – but it still has some unfamiliar grammatical features, which means it’s still something of a challenge.

Another aspect that makes it a little trickier is the fact that there is no standard dialect. The course is based on the speech of one individual from the Gambia – but his speech doesn’t necessarily reflect the speech of other Fula speakers you might meet, so after completing this course, some adaptation may be required when you converse with other speakers of the language.

Nevertheless, since there is no abundance of materials for studying this tongue, this comprehensive free Fula course will be an invaluable resource for anyone interesting in having a go.

Course Details

What is the FSI Fula Basic Course?

This FSI Fula course was published in 1965 and was originally created to help US diplomatic staff learn the language before being posted to regions where Fula is spoken. It is made up of 40 units that teach you the basic language you need to function in a range of situations. In each unit, new language is presented in the form of a short dialog, after which you will find drills and exercises for further practice. Each unit is also accompanied by audio recordings that can help you work on perfecting your pronunciation in Fula.

How was FSI Fula Basic originally used?

American diplomatic staff studied these materials as part of an intensive course in Fula. They attended around six hours of class per day, which was supplemented by a further two hours of individual study. During class time, they spoke only Fula, and even outside of class, they were supposed to use Fula among themselves. In this way, in just a short amount of time, they were able to acquire a firm foundation in the language.

How can you use FSI Fula Basic?

Although you won’t be able to recreate the perfect study conditions enjoyed by US diplomats, you can still benefit greatly from this free online Fula course.

Since there are few other resources available for learning this language, you will probably be using the FSI materials as your primary source of language input. By working through these materials, listening to the dialogs and practicing with the drills, you will quickly be able to master the basics of Fula. Then, if you can find other study resources to supplement your learning, you will find you are able to progress even more rapidly.

Taking it further

No matter how comprehensive your study materials, you can’t learn a language from books alone. For this reason, as soon as possible, I urge you to take your new language skills and try them out “in the wild”. Look for opportunities to practice your Fula and seek out native speakers who can help you learn. When you do this, you can make speaking Fula a part of your daily life, and you will see how quickly you begin to make progress.

Student Text

#	Audio
01	01
02	02
03	03
04	04
05	05-1
06	05-2
07	06
08	07-1
09	07-2
10	08-1
11	08-2
12	09-1
13	09-2
14	10-1
15	10-2
16	11-1
17	11-2
18	12-1
19	12-2
20	13-1
21	13-2
22	14-1
23	14-2
24	15
25	16-1
26	16-2
27	17-1
28	17-2
29	18-1
30	18-2
31	19
32	20-1
33	20-2
34	21-22
35	23
36	24
37	25
38	26
39	27-28
40	29-30
41	31-32
42	33-34
43	35
44	36-37
45	38
46	39
47	40
48	Review 1-2
49	Review 1
50	Review 2-2
51	Review 2
52	Review-3