emk ISO 639
Maninka Autonyms
Maninkakan, Eastern
Visualizations
A language of Guinea
- ISO 639
- emk
- Alternate Names
- Eastern Malinke, Kankan Maninka, Malinké, Mande, Maninga, Maninkakan, Maninkaxan, Southern Maninka
- Autonym
- Maninka
- Population
- 3,100,000 in Guinea (2017 census). 73,500 Wasulu. Total users in all countries: 3,722,300.
- Location
- Widespread and in all urban areas.
- Language Maps
- Central Mali: Enlarged area, Guinea, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Southern Mali, Western Mali
- Language Status
- 3 (Wider communication). De facto language of national identity. Originated in one of the Mali empires (1235-1670). Language of court and government during the Mali empire. Widely spoken in the 1890s during French colonization. Native to Guinea, Mali, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Maninka people have high regard for their language.
- Classification
- Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Central-Southwestern, Central, Manding-Jogo, Manding-Vai, Manding-Mokole, Manding, Manding-East, Southeastern Manding
- Dialects
- Baliya, Amana (Kourousa), Gbereduu, Maninka-Mori (Mori), Wasulunkakan (Wasolon Maninka, Wassulu, Wassulunka, Wassulunke, Wasuu), Toron. Maninka of Liberia is the same as Maninka of Guinea (Eastern Maninkakan). Bambara [bam] of Mali and parts of Senegal is not vastly different. Eastern Maninkakan of Côte d’Ivoire is reportedly similar to Bambara; Western Maninkakan [mlq] of south central and southeast Senegal is considerably different. Lexical similarity: 92% with Wasulunkakan dialect, 79% with Sankaran Maninka [msc], 72% with Konyanka Maninka [mku]. A member of macrolanguage Mandingo [man].
- Language Use
- Used as L2 by Guinea Kpelle [gkp], Kakabe [kke], Kono [knu], Konyanka Maninka [mku], Kuranko [knk], Lele [llc], Mano [mev], Manya [mzj], Northern Kissi [kqs], Pular [fuf], Toma [tod].
- Language Development
- Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 1932–1966.
- Writing
- Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn]. N’Ko script [Nkoo], used in Guinea.
- Other Comments
- Muslim.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Maninkakan, Eastern
Also Spoken in
- Language Status
- Unestablished
- Language Use
- Used as L2 by Manya [mzj].
- Other Comments
- Non-indigenous. Commerce people from Guinea. View other languages of Liberia
Language Name
Maninkakan, Eastern
User Population
71,300 in Liberia (2020).
- Location
- Koulikoro region: Kati circle, into Kangaba circle, 5 communes; Sikasso region: Yanfolila circle.
- Language Status
- 6a (Vigorous)
- Language Use
- Used by all. View other languages of Mali
Language Name
Maninkakan, Eastern
User Population
390,000 in Mali (2014 UNSD).
- Location
- Northern province: Koinadugu district, Kabala area; small groups throughout the country.
- Language Status
- 3 (Wider communication)
- Language Use
- Used as L2 by Yalunka [yal].
- Other Comments
- Muslim. View other languages of Sierra Leone
Language Name
Maninkakan, Eastern
User Population
161,000 in Sierra Leone (2019).
