Mandinka

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A language of Senegal

ISO 639-3
mnk
Alternate Names
Mande, Manding, Mandingo, Mandingue, Mandinque, Socé
Autonym
Mandi’nka kango
User Population

888,000 in Senegal (2017). Total users in all countries: 1,949,000.

Location

Kolda region: Oussadou area on southeast border with Guinea; Sédhiou region: Casamance river north to The Gambia; Ziguinchor region: south of Casamance river.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing). Recognized language (2005, Decree No. 982 of 21 October).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Central-Southwestern, Central, Manding-Jogo, Manding-Vai, Manding-Mokole, Manding, Manding-West
Dialects

None known. Mandinka, Eastern Maninkakan [emk], and Western Maninkakan [mlq] are separate languages. Lexical similarity: 79% with Kalanke, 75% with Jahanka [jad], 70% with Xaasongaxango [kao], 59% with Western Maninkakan [mlq], 53% with Eastern Maninkakan [emk], 48% with Bambara [bam]. A member of macrolanguage Mandingo [man].

Language Use

Used by all. Many also use Wolof [wol], as the language of commerce and interethnic communication (Sarr and Thiaw 2012). Some also use French [fra], as the language of education and government (Diouf et al 2017). Also use Guinea-Bissau Creole [pov]. Used as L2 by Badyara [pbp], Bainouk-Gunyaamolo [bcz], Balanta-Ganja [bjt], Gusilay [gsl], Jola-Fonyi [dyo], Karon [krx], Mlomp [mlo].

Language Development

Literature. Periodicals. Grammar. Bible: 2013.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Mandinka
Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Muslim.

Also spoken in:

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