Mrrzy, I think there are parts of WA where Fula(ni) and other languages play the role of lingue franche [that's a plural, not a typo, folks]. Incidentally, to complete the thread creep away from the caucasoid, about two weeks ago on the bus (in Seattle) I was listening to a couple of what looked like perfectly normal American young ladies of African extraction speaking some other language. I could tell it wasn't Swahili and I was pretty sure it wasn't Haitian, so I got up the courage to ask and found out they were both from the Gambia and were speaking Mandinke (which, I'd hazard a guess, is another word for Bambara and Dioula?). Small world. (Small country, too, for that matter. They were surprised I'd ever heard of it.)

Liland
(ninafahamu Kiswahili, walakini sifahamu Kimandinke)