The Fula /ˈfuːlə/ language, also known as Fulani /fʊˈlɑːniː/ (Fula: Fulfulde, Pulaar, Pular; French:Peul) is a non-tonal language spoken as various closely related dialects, in a continuum that stretches across some 20 countries of West and Central Africa. Like other related languages such as Serer and Wolof, it belongs to the Atlantic subfamily of the Niger–Congo languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Fula people ("Fulani", Fula:Fulɓe) and related groups such as the Toucouleur people in the Senegal River Valley from the Senegambia region and Guinea to Cameroon and Sudan. It is also spoken as a second language by various peoples in the region, such as the Kirdi of Northern Cameroon and Northeastern Nigeria.