Manding - PanAfriL10n (original) (raw)

Manding - Mandingue

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  1. 1. Classification / Classification
  2. 2. Where Spoken / Localisation g�ographique
  3. 3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
  4. 4. Dialect Survey / Enqu�te de dialecte
  5. 5. Usage / Utilisation
  6. 6. Orthography / Orthographe
    1. 6.1 Status / Statut
    2. 6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple
  7. 7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
    1. 7.1 Fonts / Polices
    2. 7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier
    3. 7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet
    4. 7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localis�s
    5. 7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue
    6. 7.6 Locales / Param�tres r�gionaux
    7. 7.7 Other / Autre
  8. 8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
    1. 8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)
    2. 8.2 Institutions / Institutions
    3. 8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile
  9. 9. Comments / Remarques
  10. 10. References / R�f�rences

Bamanankan, Maninkakan, Mandinka(kan), Julakan, N'Ko...

1. Classification / Classification

Manding (also known as Mandekan and Mandingo) belongs to the northern branch of Mande. It represents a collection of mutually intelligible dialects, including Mandinka, Bambara, Dyula, and others. (Webbook)

Another explanation of classification of Manding in the context of Mande or "Mandic" languages is at http://www.langtag.com/?page_id=8

The Manding tongues are sometimes referred to as "Mande core" languages.

Ethnologue gives the following classification for Manding languages (with differing subcategories): Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Central-Southwestern, Central, Manding-Jogo, Manding-Vai, Manding-Mokole, Manding, ...

(The similar-sounding term Mende denotes a language in a separate branch of the Mande languages family.)

2. Where Spoken / Localisation g�ographique

It is spoken primarily in Mali, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, C�te d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso.

For more information on classification and location of Mande languages, see "Mand� Language Family of West Africa: Location and Genetic Classification" by Valentin Vydrine and T. G. Bergman at http://gamma.sil.org/silesr/2000/2000-003/silesr2000-003.htm

A map of where Manding languages are spoken is available at: http://www.sil.org/silesr/2000/2000-003/Manding/Manding.htm

3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

According to figures compiled from Ethnologue:

If 80% of the Malian population (of 10 million) speaks Bambara to one degree or another (as a first or additional language), that would equal 8 million speakers for that country alone.

4. Dialect Survey / Enqu�te de dialecte

Bambara is spoken primarily in Mali and also in eastern Senegal, C�te d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Dyula is spoken in C�te d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. Mandinka is spoken in The Gambia and Senegal (where it is often called Malink� in French). Maninka is spoken in Guinea and southwestern Mali (also called Malink�). (Webbook)

SIL International considers "Mandingo" as a "macrolanguage" including Eastern Maninkakan, Konyanka Maninka, Western Maninkakan, Mandinka, Sankaran Maninka, Kita Maninkakan, and Forest Maninka (see below).

A version of Manding based on use of the N'ko script seems to be emerging as a sort of literary standard for at least some Mandephones. It is apparently based mostly on the Maninka and Mandinka varieties of Manding. As of mid-2006 it has an ISO-639-2 language code (see below, 7e).

According to information compiled from Ethnologue these are the Manding tongues:

5. Usage / Utilisation

Manding is a widely spoken first language and lingua franca in the above-mentioned areas. It is broadcast on radio and television (the latter at least in Mali) and appears in some periodicals (such as Kibaru in Mali). (Webbook)

Bamanankan dialects are spoken in varying degrees by 80% of the population in Mali. (Ethnologue)

In Gambia, 50% of Mandinka speakers are literate in the Ajami transcription. (Ethnologue)

Jula is a trade language of western Burkina Faso and northern C�te d'Ivoire. It is a separate language from Bambara and Malinke, and ethnically distinct. (Ethnologue)

6. Orthography / Orthographe

6.1 Status / Statut

a) Latin

The basis of a Romanized Manding orthography was established at the UNESCO expert meeting in Bamako, Mali, in l966. Various governments with Mandephone populations have standardized variants of this orthography (e.g., Senegal in 1975). (Adapted from Webbook)

"Writing was introduced to the Bambara during the French occupation (1880-1960) and Bambara is usually written with the Latin alphabet, though the N'Ko and Arabic alphabets are also used to some extent." (Omniglot)

There are - or at least were not long ago - several points of contention in orthography used for Bambara and Jula (Traor� 1991).

b) Arabic

Use of the Arabic alphabet or Ajami predates colonization and persists in many areas. It is notable today especially among Mandinka speakers of Gambia and Senegal

c) N'Ko

The N'Ko script is especially popular among Maninka speakers in upper Guinea, with about 50 publications, and schools teaching it. (adapted from Ethnologue) It is also used by a growing number in Mali.

6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

Bambara

The extended characters mentioned above for Bambara are the same as those used in Jula in Burkina Faso, per http://www.abcburkina.net/sedelan/contenu/services/edition.html . They include: ɛ, ɔ, ɲ, ŋ

Alphabets as reported by Hartell (1993) and presented in Syst�mes alphab�tiques:

The N'Ko alphabet can be seen at http://www.uiowa.edu/~linguist/faculty/culy/nko/ and http://home.gwu.edu/~cwme/Nko/alpha.htm

7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

7.1 Fonts / Polices

Unicode: most Unicode fonts with extended Latin ranges would include the necessary extended characters (Arial Unicode MS, Code 2000, Doulos SIL, Gentium, Lucida Sans Unicode)

8-bit (these fonts are not recommended for creation of new documents or web content):

The Mali Standard font package from SIL along with keyboard layouts for QWERTY and AZERTY

7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

Several "Pan-Sahelian" layouts at http://www.bisharat.net/A12N/Projects/

A Tavultesoft Keyman keyboard layout for Jula is available for download at http://www.abcburkina.net/sedelan/contenu/services/edition.html

The CNRS/LLACAN "AFRO" Tavultesoft Keyman keyboard (for AZERTY) is intended to support Bambara and Mandinka: http://www.tavultesoft.com/keyman/downloads/keyboards/details.php?KeyboardID=377&FromKeyman=0

7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

Hadamaden josiraw dantigɛkan (Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Bambara): http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/bra.htm

DUNUƝA BƐNMAKAN KA A BƐN (Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Maninka): http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/mni.htm

There is a Bambara Wikipedia at http://bm.wikipedia.org/

Casablanca Statement written in N'Ko: http://www.panafril10n.org/panafrloc/Casa-NKO.pdf

7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localis�s

Some efforts have begun for Bambara and Jula.

The Open Knowledge network has a Bambara version of its project software [seeking more info]. http://www.openknowledge.net/

A DOS-based N'Ko wordprocessor called "Koma Kuda" was developed a few years ago. It was used in the production of some print materials.

7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue

Bambara/Bamanankan

Dyula/Jula:

Mandingo:

N'ko

Jahanka

Kagoro

Mandinka

Maninka, Forest

Maninka, Konyanka

Maninka, Sankaran

Maninkakan, Eastern

Maninkakan, Kita

Maninkakan, Western

Wojenaka

Worodougou

Xaasongaxango

7.6 Locales / Param�tres r�gionaux

7.7 Other / Autre

8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

8.2 Institutions / Institutions

8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile

For Jula:

9. Comments / Remarques

Since some varieties of Manding are quite close and others somewhat different, it would be helpful to have a clearer idea of what sort of affinities there would be for localisation. For instance, Bambara and Jula may be similar enough for a single software localisation and common development of some kinds of content, but different enough for separate translations of more detailed texts. On the other hand, Mandinka and Maninka might each be different enough from the others to require separate localisation strategies, etc.

The increasing use of N'ko in some areas also needs to be accounted for, not only in localisation but also in developing good transliteration programs to facilitate use of both the Latin-based and N'ko scripts.

10. References / R�f�rences

Chanard, Christian (2006), Syst�mes alphab�tiques des langues africaines, LLACAN, CNRS, http://sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono/

Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/hiermenu.html (page on "Manding," http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/Manding_root.html )

Hartell, Rhonda L., ed. (1993), The Alphabets of Africa. Dakar: UNESCO and SIL. (The French edition, published the same year, is entitled Alphabets de Langues Africaines).

Omniglot, "Bambara (Bamanankan)," http://www.omniglot.com/writing/bambara.htm

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Bamanankan," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bam

______, "Jahanka," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=jad

______, "Jula," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=dyu

______, "Kagoro," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=xkg

______, "Mandinka," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mnk

______, "Maninka, Forest," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=myq

______, "Maninka, Konyanka," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mku

______, "Maninka, Sankaran," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=msc

______, "Maninkakan, Eastern," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=emk

______, "Maninkakan, Kita," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mwk

______, "Maninkakan, Western," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=mlq

______, "Wojenaka," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=jod

______, "Worodougou," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=jud

______, "Xaasongaxango," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kao

SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp

______, "ISO 639-3 Macrolangauge Mappings," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/macrolanguages.asp

Sullivan, Terrence D. 1983 (2004). "A Preliminary Report of Existing Information on the Manding Languages of West Africa." (SIL Electronic Survey Reports) http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2004-005

Traor�, Karim (1991) "Probl�mes orthographiques de bambara-jula." In N. Cyffer et al, Language Standardization in Africa. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag. Pp. 61-72.

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php

Vydrine, Valentin and Bergman, T. G. 2001. "Mand� Language Family of West Africa: Location and Genetic Classification" http://gamma.sil.org/silesr/2000/2000-003/silesr2000-003.htm

Wikipedia, "Manding languages," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manding_languages

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