Manding languages


The Manding languages are a dialect continuum of Mande languages spoken in West Africa. Their best-known members are Bambara, the most widely spoken language in Mali; Mandinka, the main language of the Gambia; Maninka, or Malinké, a major language of Guinea; and Jula, a trade language of the northern Ivory Coast and western Burkina Faso.

Subdivisions

The Manding languages, and what distinguishes one from the rest and relationships among all of them are matters that continue to be researched. In addition, the nomenclature – being a mixture of indigenous terms and words applied by English and French speakers since before the colonisation of Africa – makes the picture complex and even confusing.
The Mandinka people speak varieties from the first two groups; the differences between the western and eastern branches manifest themselves primarily phonetically. While dialects of the western group usually have 10 vowels, the eastern group, typified by Bambara, has 14 vowels :
;Manding-West
;Manding-East
In addition, Sininkere is of unclear placement within Manding.

Writing

The Manding languages have a strong oral tradition, but also have written forms - adaptations of Arabic and Latin alphabets, and at least two indigenous scripts.