FUB-Narratives
License:
NOODL-1.0
Steward:
Institute of African Digital Humanities
Task: NLP
Release Date: 11/12/2025
Format: TXT
Size: 168.34 KB
Share
Description
This dataset contains literary texts derived from oral Fulfulde Adamawa (fub) performances. The texts are of various genres, including narratives, hymns, riddles and poems. The performances were recorded on tape and then transcribed with the help of local Adamawa Fulfulde language experts.
Specifics
Licensing
Nwulite Obodo Open Data Licence 1.0 (NOODL-1.0)
https://licensingafricandatasets.com/nwulite-obodo-licenseConsiderations
Restrictions/Special Constraints
- This dataset is for research and scientific use only - No one should redistribute or re-host this dataset
Forbidden Usage
Generative AI, reproduction, duplication, modification, augmentation, copying, distribution, transmission, display, sale, transfer, publication or creation of derivative works without the explicit permission of the point of contact acting on behalf of the legal owner of the dataset.
Processes
Intended Use
Research, Language Teaching.
Metadata
Language
Adamawa Fulfulde (also referred to simply as Fulfulde) is one of several varieties of Fulfulde, or Puular, or Fula spoken troughout the Sahel region in Africa. Adamawa Fulfulde is native to a population located in the Adamawa, North and Far-North Regions of Cameroon.
Variants
The Adamawa Fulfulde language is often subdivided into three dialects, each representing a different main settlement area: Maroua, Garoua and Ngaoundéré. It is difficult to specify which dialect is represented in each text in the dataset, as this information was not recorded or preserved when the oral performances were recorded.
Writing System
1. Basic Latin letters
Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, y
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
2. Extended letters & diacritics
ɓ, ɗ, ƴ, ŋ, ñ, ŋg, ŋk, ’ (glottal stop/apostrophe), Ɓ, Ɗ, Ƴ
3. Common multigraphs
nd, ng, nj, ny, mb, cw, gw, hw, sh (less common)
4. Full alphabet
a, b, ɓ, c, d, ɗ, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, ŋ, o, p, r, s, t, u, w, y, ƴ
5. Notes
ɓ, ɗ, ƴ = implosive and palatalized consonants central to Fulfulde phonology.
ŋ, ñ mark nasal sounds [ŋ], [ɲ].
Tone is not marked in standard orthography but is phonemic in speech.
Glottal apostrophe (’) often indicates elision or morphological boundary.
Orthography follows conventions of the Nigerian–Cameroon Adamawa Fulfulde standard
Source
Who wrote/created the text and When?
The texts in this dataset were transcribed from orchestrated oral performances of literary experts from the Fulani community in the Adamawa Futa. The term 'Futa' refers to an area where the Fulani people settled. These performances were recorded in the 1970s by Catholic missionaries, who were seeking to understand the worldview of Fulani society and African societies more broadly. The transcription work was started by the Catholic missionaries and continued by the Fulfulde Language Academy, for which Hubert Nkoumou was consultant from 2003 to 2008. He was responsible for revising the transcriptions and disseminating the texts, either through publications or otherwise. These texts had been kept with Hubert Nkoumou for many years. He was therefore greatly relieved when approached with the proposal to publish the texts on the Mozilla Data Collective Platform, as this would finally enable him to bring them to a wider audience.
Domain
The texts in this dataset are orchestrated performances of oral literary genres, such as folktales, hymns, songs and riddles.