bam ISO 639

Bamanankan Autonyms

Bamanankan

  • Geography

    ML Bamako, Kayes, Koulikoro, and Ségou regions; Sikasso region: north, middle Niger river watershed.
  • Language Cloud

A language of Mali

bam
Bamanakan, Bambara
Bamanankan
14,000,000 in Mali, all users. L1 users: 4,000,000 in Mali (2012 V. Vydrin), increasing. 75,000 Ganadugu (Vanderaa 1991), 164,000 Wasulu (2009 census). L2 users: 10,000,000 (2012 V. Vydrine). Total users in all countries: 14,187,540 (as L1: 4,187,540; as L2: 10,000,000).
Bamako, Kayes, Koulikoro, and Ségou regions; Sikasso region: north, middle Niger river watershed.
Central Mali, Central Mali: Enlarged area, Côte d’Ivoire, Southern Mali, Western Mali
3 (Wider communication). Recognized language (1982, Decree No. 159 of 19 July, Article 1). Bamanankan serves as lingua franca everywhere, except for the northeastern part of the country. Bamanankan is the form of Jula [dyu] recognized by the Malian government. Used for travel, market, and business communication.
Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Central-Southwestern, Central, Manding-Jogo, Manding-Vai, Manding-Mokole, Manding, Manding-East, Northeastern Manding, Bamana
Standard Bambara, Somono (Kombye), Segou, San, Beledugu, Ganadugu, Sikasso, Wasulunkakan (Maninkakan, Eastern, Wassulu, Wassulunka, Wassulunke, Wasulu, Wasuu). Many local dialects. The main division is standard Bambara, influenced heavily by Eastern Maninkakan [emk], and rural dialects. Bamanankan dialects are spoken in varying degrees by 80% of the Mali population. In Mali, Wasulunkakan is shared by both Bamanankan and Eastern Maninkakan, but in Guinea it is only a dialect of Eastern Maninkakan.
SOV; postpositions; passives; tense; causatives; 21 consonant and 14 vowel phonemes; tonal (2 tones: high, low).
Growing. All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Used as L2 by Bankagooma [bxw], Bunoge Dogon [dgb], Duungooma [dux], Jenaama Bozo [bze], Jowulu [jow], Kagoro [xkg], Kelengaxo Bozo [bzx], Konabéré [bbo], Koyra Chiini Songhay [khq], Koyraboro Senni Songhay [ses], Maasina Fulfulde [ffm], Malian Sign Language [bog], Mamara Sénoufo [myk], Pana [pnq], Soninke [snk], Supyire Sénoufo [spp], Syenara Sénoufo [shz], Tieyaxo Bozo [boz].
Literacy rate in L1: 15%. Taught in many adult and youth literacy classes (2021 SIL). Taught in some primary schools in early grades only. Bambara is most widely used and best developed program (2021 SIL). Literature. Newspapers. Radio. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible: 1961–1987.
Latin script [Latn]. N’Ko script [Nkoo], used in Mali.
Wasulu are former Fulbe. Muslim, traditional religion.
OLAC resources in and about Bamanankan
Bamanankan
54,200 in Niger (2021).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of Niger
Bambara
5,500 in Côte d’Ivoire (1993 SIL).
Denguélé district: center and northeast; Savanes district: Tingréla department, Ségélon subprefecture; Malian diaspora in all major cities.
3 (Wider communication)
Muslim.
View other languages of Côte d’Ivoire
Bambara
20,500 in Gambia (2016).
Unestablished
Also use English [eng], as the language of education and government (Biel 2014). Also use Gambian Wolof [wof], as the language of commerce and media (Biel 2014). Also use Mandinka [mnk], as the secondary LWC for commerce and media (Biel 2014).
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of Gambia
Bambara
21,100 in Mauritania (2017).
Unestablished
All also use French [fra], as the language of education, media and government. Most also use Hassaniyya [mey], as the language of commerce and interethnic communication. Many also use Standard Arabic [arb], as the language of government, media, and religion (Ould Ahmed 2012).
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of Mauritania
Bambara
84,700 in Senegal (2017).
Tambacounda region: near Mali border.
5 (Dispersed)
Many also use Wolof [wol], as the language of commerce and interethnic communication. Some also use French [fra], as the language of education and government. Used as L2 by Soninke [snk].
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of Senegal