About Fon - The People and Language:
Fon is the name of the language spoken by the people of the Fon ethnic group. Fon is also called Fongbe (gbe) which means "language." The Fon people inhabit the southern region of Benin, and to this day, they have a king who is located in the capitol of the Fon kingdom called Abomey. The king has only religious and ceremonial powers, but no official political power because Benin's government is set up on the western democratic model. Benin's political capitol is Porto-Novo and the de facto or economic capitol is Cotonou. Another name for the Fon kingdom is Dahomey (also written Danhome), and much has been written about it because of its prominent role in the slave trade with the Europeans during the 17 and 1800's,.
If you see books that refer to the "Benin Kingdom" realize that they are are about a region that is located in what is South Eastern Nigeria today, not Benin the country. The prominent ethnic group of the Benin Kingdom is Ibo, which is one of the major ethnic groups of Nigeria today. The Benin Kingdom is famous for their bronze sculptures and many books have been written about that topic. When the French liberated their West African colonies in 1960, the republic of Dahomey was created. Dahomey had the most contact with the French, so the name "Dahomey" was given to the whole country even though the Dahomey kingdom did not extend to the northern half of the country. In the early '70's Dahomey's name was changed to Benin because the name "Dahomey" is representative of only one kingdom of the many within Benin's political boundaries, and Benin is a more neutral name that doesn't relate to any specific ethnic group in Benin. The name change was to enhance North-South relations which at times have been tense. The name "Benin" was chosen from the Bay of Benin (on the Atlantic Ocean) that Lagos and Cotonou are located on and the bay of Benin probably got its name from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria..
Benin (a country about the size of Pennsylvania) has about 50 local, traditional languages SIL's list (my list of Languages) and Fon is only one of those 50 languages. Fon is the predominant language of the Southern Benin, and is not spoken in other parts of the country. In fact there are areas of Southern Benin where Fon is not spoken, such as along the Nigerian and Togolese borders. French is the lingua franca or the common denominator language. Without French, Beninese from different regions would not be able to speak to each other because the local languages they speak tend to be very different. Having 50 language groups packed into such a small country means that people from one village may not be able to communicate with people from another village 20 miles away unless they can speak French (This assumes that they are of a different ethnic groups).
Historically the Beninese have no tradition of reading and writing, and is something the European colonists brought to Benin. Benin is a French speaking country because it was colonized by the French and during their rule, they set up the school system which is still in place today. Sadly enough schools in Benin today teach only French, and not the local languages. The result is even college level educated Beninese often can't read or write their own local language! Everyone's primary language is their local language, (depending where they live in Benin) and French is only taught in school. Usually the only people who speak French well, are the ones who have made it to high school, and many children are not so lucky. Sometimes highly successful and well educated Beninese people prefer to speak French over their local language. This is because French is seen as more sophisticated and being able to speak it well is a sign of their education and success. On the other hand, the people who have never been to school and live in rural areas, usually can't speak more than a few words of French.
Fon as well as many other local languages were transcribed using the western style alphabet by Europeans and subsequently by Beninese scholars. Because Fon is not taught in schools, few people know how to read and write it, but everyone who is of the Fon ethnic group knows how to speak it. The Beninese government has some programs outside of the schools set up to teach people to read and write Fon, but few people take the time to learn. The result is that there is no authoritative body, work, or tradition that states how Fon should be written (with spelling, written grammar, characters, accents, etc.). This means that words may be spelled differently from one source to another, but again, you will rarely see Fon written, and there are few texts in Fon available. One of those works is the New Testament of the Bible which was translated into Fon by missionaries.
There is a Fon dictionary called Dictionnaire Francais-Fon, by Jean Rassinoux published by Imprimerie Dumas.42100 Saint- Etienne Depot Legal : 3 trimester 1987 Imprimeur N. 28129 that I bought in a book store in Cotonou. I'm sure you'd have no problem finding it today in Cotonou, but I have no idea how easy it would be to find outside of Benin. The one drawback of this book is that it is only French to Fon and does not include Fon to French. None the less, it is very useful.- that is if you speak French. I speak French, and it is fun practicing two languages at once. I seriously doubt that there are any Fon to English or English to Fon dictionaries. If you find one let me know! Theere are some other Fon related books for sale on Amazon.com -see my Benin Books and Music page for details..
I was taught by Beninese Peace Corps staff initially, during my three month training, and during my two year service, I paid my neighbor, who attended literacy classes to teach me. Because so few people know how to read and write Fon, I don't think it's that important for a visitor to know either. All signs and government documents, newspapers, etc. throughout the country are in French. Fon is an oral language and knowing how to speak it is what is important. In Benin very few people speak English, and not everyone speaks French, so you can't go wrong learning Fon. If you are going to live in a city in Benin and dealing only with educated people, or you if you will be in central or Northern Benin where Fon is not spoken, then learning Fon won't be that important for you. If you will be in Southern Benin, and will be dealing with different groups of people, then it is important to learn Fon. As a visitor, the most important language for you to know is French, and being able to speak Fon is also a great help, but should take second priority to French. I was lucky because when I arrived in Benin, I spoke French pretty well which gave me the freedom to concentrate on Fon. Many Peace Corps Volunteers spend their two years perfecting their French and don't have the opportunity to work much on their local languages unless they live in very remote areas where very few people speak French. In general, the farther north you travel, the less the the culture has been influenced by the West, and less people speak French.
An interesting note is how French influences Fon and how Fon influences the French spoken in Benin.. When the French arrived in Benin they brought with them many new concepts. For example, a concept that the Fon people had never heard of before the Europeans arrived was ice and snow. Because it is so hot in Benin, there is never natural ice. Before the Europeans arrived, they did not have freezers so in Fon they usually just use the French word "glace" and "neige" for ice and snow. "Tanti" is used commonly used in Fon to refer to a woman in a more or less a slang manner. "Tante" is the French word for aunt and Tanti is surely a derivative of Tante. Monto means car and is from the word "moto" in French. If you are speaking Fon to someone, and you don't know the word, try it in French. They just might understand because most people in Benin speak at least a few words of French
Fon as well as other local languages have had a large impact on the French that is spoken in Benin, even by educated people. I'm sure many French people who arrive in Benin are pretty shocked at all the differences. Often the Beninese translate directly from Fon to French and say things like Bonne assise, and Est-ce que tu es la? Bonne Assise means "Good sitting" and is from Kudayi'jinjon in Fon. Est-ce que tu es la means "are you here" from a do fine a? in Fon. They are direct translations from Fon, and you would never hear a French person say these things in France unless he or she has been to Benin.
Other local African languages have influenced Fon too from people migrating from one region to another. Due to the close proximity of different ethnic groups, people often interact at regional markets so they are be able to pick up new words from neighboring languages. For example Sobe do, do yi so is Mina ( a language spoke in western Benin along the Togolese border and is used in Fon.
Believe it or not, English has also influenced Fon, but to a much lesser extent than French. I'm sure this influence came from bordering Nigerian, and Ghana, which is west of Togo. For example there is the word changie = change (money), and kissy = kiss, ami= amen, dola= 5 francs I'm sure there are more examples.
One final note- I must issue a disclaimer that I am not a Fon expert. Before I left Benin I was tested by a Beninese PC trainer at the Intermediate High level which does not qualify me as a fluent speaker. One aspect of the language which I never grasped was the tonality of Fon. See Tones. I am creating this website a little over three years after I have left Benin. I'm surprised at how much I remember, but I surely have forgotten some things.. Creating this website has been great practice for me, helping me to not forget it. I plan on going back next year with my wife to be Cara, so I'll need to have my Fon skills sharp and ready. Please let me know if this site has helped you on your trip to Benin!
Fon Related Pages: Home About Fon Help on Listening to .WAV Files The Most Important Greetings Special Requests from Users Greetings that State the Obvious Basic Phrases Questions Grammar and Pronunciation Useful Vocabulary Fon for Peace Corps Volunteers Voodoo The Final Test
Non Fon Pages: My Pictures of Benin Benin Related Links Guest Book Maps Stories From My PC Diary Beninese Food Recipes New Content! Peace Corps Q & A Benin Books and Music