Languages of Mali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Languages of Mali | |
| Official language | French (Standard) |
| National languages | Bambara, Bomu, Tieyaxo Bozo, Toro So Dogon, Maasina Fulfulde, Hasanya Arabic, Mamara Senoufo, Kita Maninkakan, Soninke, Koyraboro Senni Songhay, Syenara Senoufo, Tamasheq, Xaasongaxango |
| Other indigenous languages | |
| Lingua francas | Bambara, French, Fula (esp. in Mopti region), Songhai |
| Main immigrant language | |
| Other important languages | Arabic (Classical), English |
Mali is a multilingual country. The languages spoken there reflect ancient settlement patterns, migrations, and its long history. Ethnologue counts 50 languages. Of these, French is the official language and Bambara is the most widely spoken. Altogether 13 of the indigenous languages of Mali have the legal status of national language.
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[edit] Usage
Although French, which was introduced during the colonial period, was retained as the official language at independence and is used in government and formal education, estimates of the number of people who actually speak it is about 15%[citation needed]. Almost all people who speak French in Mali speak it as a second language. However it is fairly widely understood in urban centres.[citation needed]
Bambara, a Manding language (in the Mande family) is said to be spoken by 80% of the population as a first or second language. It is spoken mainly in central and Southern Mali. Bambara and two other very closely related Manding languages Malinke or Maninkakan in the southwest and Kassonke (in the region of Kayes in the west), are among the 13 national languages. Bambara is used as a trade language in Mali between language groups.
(Bambara is also very close to the Dioula or Jula language (Julakan), spoken mainly in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The name "Jula" (Dioula in French transcription) is actually a Manding word meaning "trader.")
Other Mande languages (not in the Manding group) include Soninke (in the region of Kayes in western Mali), Dogon languages (of Pays Dogon or Dogon country in central Mali), the Bozo languages (along the middle Niger).
Other languages include Senufo in the Sikasso region (south), Fulfulde (Peul in French) as a widespread trade language in the Mopti region and beyond, the Songhay languages along the Niger, Tamasheq in the eastern part of Mali's Sahara and Arabic in its western part.
Several of the most widely spoken indigenous languages are considered "national languages."
[edit] Descriptions
Most of the languages of Mali are part of the Niger-Congo language family, Africa's largest phylum. Among them, many are of the Mande subfamily, widely regarded the earliest branching of Niger-Congo. The Dogon languages are thought to comprise another Niger-Congo branch, and the Senufo languages are a separate branch of Volta-Congo. Mande, Senufo and Dogon stand out among Niger-Congo because of their deviant SOV basic word order. The Gur subfamily is represented by Bomu (extending into Burkina Faso) on the Bani River of Mali. Fulfulde, spoken throughout West Africa, is a member of the Atlantic branch.
Other language families include Afro-Asiatic, represented by the Berber language Tamasheq and by Arabic, and possibly Nilo-Saharan, represented by the Songhay languages whose classification is still controversial.
[edit] Spoken languages
The following table gives a summary of the 49 spoken languages reported by Ethnologue (NB- the sort by numbers of speakers does not work optimally):
| Language (Ethnologue) | Cluster or macrolanguage | Language family | Legal status | L1 speakers in Mali* | L2 speakers in Mali** | Main region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French | Indo-European | Official | 9,000 | 1,500,000 ?? | All (esp. urban) | |
| Arabic, Hasanya | Arabic | Afro-Asiatic / Semitic | National | 106,100 | ? | NW |
| Bambara, Bamanankan | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | National | 2,700,000 | 8,000,000 ?? | South, most of country |
| Bomu | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | National | 102,000 | ? | SE | |
| Bozo, Tiéyaxo | Bozo | Niger-Congo / Mande | National | 117,696 | ? | Central |
| Dogon, Toro So | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | National | 50,000 | ? | Central-east |
| Fulfulde, Maasina | Fula | Niger-Congo / Atlantic | National | 911,200 | ? (some L2 speakers) | Central |
| Maninkakan, Kita | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | National | 600,000 | ? | W |
| Senoufo, Mamara (Miniyanka) | Senufo | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | National | 737,802 | ? | S |
| Senoufo, Syenara | Senufo | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | National | 136,500 | ? | S |
| Songhay, Koyraboro Senni | Songhay (Southern) | Nilo-Saharan | National | 400,000 | ? (a trade language) | N |
| Soninke (& Marka/Maraka) | Niger-Congo / Mande | National | 700,000 | ? | NW | |
| Tamasheq | Tamashek | Afro-Asiatic / Berber | National | 250,000 | ? | N |
| Xaasongaxango, Khassonke | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | National | 120,000 | ? | NW |
| Bankagooma | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 5,085 | ? | S | |
| Bobo Madaré, Northern | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 18,400 | ? | SE | |
| Bozo, Hainyaxo | Bozo | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 117,696 | ? | Central |
| Bozo, Jenaama | Bozo | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 100,000 | ? | Central |
| Bozo, Tièma Cièwè | Bozo | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 2,500 | ? | Central |
| Dogon, Bangeri Me | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 1,200 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Bondum Dom | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 24,700 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Dogul Dom | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 15,700 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Donno So | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 45,300 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Jamsay | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 130,000 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Kolum So | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 24,000 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Tene Kan | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 127,000 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Tomo Kan | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 132,800 | ? | Central-east |
| Dogon, Toro Tegu | Dogon | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 2,900 | ? | Central-east |
| Duungooma | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 70,000 | ? | S | |
| Jahanka | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 500 | ? | SW | |
| Jalunga, Dyalonke | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 9,000 | ? | SW | |
| Jowulu | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 10,000 | ? | SE | |
| Jula, Dioula | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 50,000 | ? (very close to Bambara) | SE, all? |
| Kagoro | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 15,000 | ? | W |
| Koromfé | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 100 | ? | SE | |
| Maninkakan, Western | Manding | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 100,000 | ? | SW |
| Marka | Niger-Congo / Mande | None? | 25,000 | ? | SE | |
| Mòoré | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 17,000 | ? | SE | |
| Pana | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 2,800 | ? | Central-east | |
| Pulaar | Fula | Niger-Congo / Atlantic | None? | 175,000 | ? | W |
| Pular | Fula | Niger-Congo / Atlantic | None? | 50,000 | ? | SW |
| Sàmòmá | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 6 villages | ? | SE | |
| Senoufo, Sìcìté | Senufo | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 4 villages | ? | SE |
| Senoufo, Supyire | Senufo | Niger-Congo / Volta-Congo | None? | 364,000 | ? | S |
| Songhay, Humburi Senni | Songhay (Southern) | Nilo-Saharan | None? | 15,000 | ? | N |
| Songhay, Koyra Chiini | Songhay (Southern) | Nilo-Saharan | None? | 200,000 | ? | N |
| Tadaksahak | Songhay (Northern) | Nilo-Saharan | None? | 30,000 | ? | N |
| Tamajaq | Tamashek | Afro-Asiatic / Berber | None? | 190,000 | ? | N |
| Zarmaci | Songhay (Southern) | Nilo-Saharan | None? | 2 villages | ? | NE |
* First language / mother tongue speakers. Figures from Ethnologue. ** Second or additional language speakers. It is difficult to get accurate figures for this category.
[edit] Sign languages
[edit] Language Policies & Planning
[edit] General
French is the official language. Thirteen indigenous languages are national languages
[edit] Education
French is part of the standard school curriculum. There is a new policy to use Malian languages in the first grades and transition to French.
[edit] External links
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