There are considerable amounts of data and studies available in the literature concerning the Mandé languages. The purpose of this presentation is to give a detailed set of maps showing the location of the home territory where each variety is spoken and the linguistic relationship of one to the other, according to the present state of our knowledge.
Any work of this nature is necessarily built on the work of many others,
both the language location information and the linguistic classification. This
is really more an edited summary than original material.1
This map shows the extent of the Mandé languages in West Africa
Click on the map to see a language or section in more detail.
NOTE: Only the following sections are now posted:
Study of the linguistic relationships in the Mandé family has a long history. See David Dwyer (1989) and Raimund Kastenholz (1991/92, 1997) for an overview. The classification presented here is based on the work of David Dwyer, Raimund Kastenholz, Claire Grégoire and others.2
The Internet is an ideal medium for our purpose. We are not dealing with settled and undisputed facts but instead we are presenting what we think is the best available information on the topic, as much to request correction of our understanding as to provide data for others to use. The nature of electronic publishing is such that it is possible to easily update the presentation as further information becomes known. In answer to the frustration of one of our cartographers when the “facts” seem to keep changing and maps are repeatedly redone, it was explained that the process is more important, in many ways, than the product. It is often the process of publishing what we know that elicits improvement in our knowledge. People are able to offer corrections when they see what we are thinking.
The mapping data come from many sources. Changes that are made from previous maps will become fewer over time as the state of knowledge increases. Boundaries between speech varieties can change if the people move or abandon their language for another one, though large changes don't usually happen very rapidly. New dividing lines between speech forms may be required when scholars change their ideas about relationships. The locations of other features on the maps are less likely to change. However, geographic features such as rivers, lakes, and mountains may be repositioned on the map if improved data is received. Occasionally the location of villages and the alignment of international boundaries are altered, and such changes will be reflected in the maps when they are officially recognized.
These particular maps are built from a database that, among other things, was used to produce the maps shown in the fourteenth edition of the Ethnologue (Grimes:2000). The database is constantly being revised. In deciding which speech forms constitute separate languages, the emphasis is more sociolinguistic in nature than purely linguistic, though of course in most cases the two converge. By sociolinguistic, we mean that in addition to linguistic factors such as intelligibility, ethnic identity and attitudes toward other speakers are all considered in defining the distinction between language and dialect.
The computer database is the work of Irene Tucker, Bernard Wafukho and Matthew Benjamin. The data for the maps comes from numerous sources including Global Mapping International, French 1:200,000 map sheets, English 1:250,000 map sheets. Some geographic data is from Global Ministry Mapping System 1997. The starting point for language locations is based on the Global Ministry Mapping System 1997, but extensive revisions have been made to that in the process of preparing this work. The representation of international and language boundaries is not necessarily authoritative. No political statement is intended by any language or international boundaries placed on any map. Permission to reproduce these maps in any print, electronic, or other medium must be obtained in writing from SIL International.
One of the authors, Vydrine, has also personally gathered mapping information on site from linguists, missionaries, officials and in particular, from speakers themselves. His findings are also incorporated into the maps as shown.
The digital cartography and internet presentation for these particular maps of the Mandé family were created from the database by Matthew Benjamin. Atlas GIS™ was the computer program employed.
1Valentin Vydrine is the Leading Research Fellow at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). Ted Bergman is International Coordinator for language survey work of SIL International. He is also General Editor of the SIL Electronic Survey Reports. Matthew Benjamin is a computer cartographer with SIL International. He is responsible for the maps appearing in this work.
2The authors would like to thank the ones mentioned, for critiquing this present publication.
Brasseur, G. and Savonnet, G. 1960. Cartes ethno-demographiques de l'Afrique Occidentale. Dakar: IFAN. Feuille 2: 1960.
Dwyer, David. 1989. Mandé. In The Niger-Congo Languages. John Bendor-Samuel, ed. Lanham: University Press of America.
Galtier, Gérard. 1980. Problèmes dialectologiques et phonographèmatiques des parlers mandingues. Thèse de Doctorat 3ème Cycle, Université Paris VII. Paris.
Grégoire, Claire, and Bernard de Halleux. 1994. Etude lexicostatistique de quarante-trois langues et dialectes mandé. Africana Linguistica XI, Annales du Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Sciences Humaines, vol. 142. Tervuren, pp. 53–71.
Grimes, Barbara F., ed. 2000. Ethnologue: Volume 1 - Languages of the world, Volume 2 - Maps and Indexes, 14th edition. Dallas: SIL International.
Habitants du Département de Kédougou, Sénégal (les). Edité par le Centre de Recherches Anthropologiques du Musée de l'Homme. Paris, 1985.
Instituto Nacional de Estatistica. Censo da população de 1950. Provincia da Guiné. Volume II : população não civilizada. Lisboa: Tipografia Portugues, LDA
Kastenholz, Raimund. 1991/92. Comparative Mandé Studies: State of art. Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika 12/13, pp. 107–158.
Kastenholz, Raimund. 1996. Sprachgeschichte im West-Mandé. Methoden und Rekonstruktionen. Köln:Rödiger Köppe Verlag, 281 S.
McCulloch, M. 1950. Peoples of Sierra Leone protectorate. In Ethnographic Survey of Africa. D. Forde, (ed.). Western Africa, Part II. London: International African Institute.
Vydrine, Valentin. 1999. Manding-English Dictionary (Maninka, Bamana). Vol. 1. St. Petersburg: Dimitry Bulanin Publishing House, 315 p.
Manding in Mali: Bird, Charles S. ed.1982. The Dialects of Mandekan. Bloomington: Indiana University.
D.N.A.F.L.A. 1983. Dialectes Manding du Mali. Sér. "Promotion des langues manding et Peul (MAPE)". Agence de cooperation culturelle et technique, Paris.
Manding in Côte d'Ivoire: Derive, Marie-Jo. 1990. Etude dialectologique de l'aire manding de Côte-d'Ivoire. Paris: Peeters: Diffusion, J. Vrin.
Manding in Guinea-Bissau: Instituto Nacional de Estatistica. Censo da população de 1950. Provincia da Guiné. Volume II : população não civilizada. Lisboa: Tipografia Portugues, LDA
Manding in Guinea and Senegal: Unpublished data received from Tim Geysbeek on the location of Manding variants in South Guinea.
Marka-Dafing in Burkina Faso:Harrison, Byron and Annette Harrison. 2002. Sociolinguistic Survey Report for the Marka-Dafin Language. Internet: <http://www.sil.org/silesr/2002/003/>
Kagoro: cf. Vydrine, Valentin. 2001. Esquisse contrastive du kagoro (Manding). Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
Field data collected by Brad Smeltzer, Susan Smeltzer, Dmitri Idiatov, and Valentin Vydrine in 1998.
Mogofin: Sketch map presented by Jacqueline Janse.
Kakabe: Field data collected by Valentin Vydrine in April 2001.
Koranko: Kastenholz, 1987a - R. Kastenholz. Das Koranko. Ein Beitrag zur Erforschung der Nord-Mande-Sprachen. Dissertation. Universität zu Köln, 345 S.
Jogo in Ghana: Kropp Dakubu, Mary Esther. 1976. On the Linguistc Geography of the Area of Ancient Begho. Mitteilungen der Basler Afrika Bibliographien, Vol. 14, 63-91
Jeli/Jeri: Raimund Kastenholz. Une première note sur le jeri.kuo (langue mandé des Jeri). Repartition géographique et matériel lexical. Cahiers Ivoiriens de la Recherche Linguistique, 29, 1992, pp. 19–60.
Tröbs, Holger. Funktionale Sprachbeschreibung des Jeli (West-Mandé). (Mandé Languages and Linguistics; Vol. 3). Köln: Köppe, 1998, 241 pp.
Soninke: Field data collected by Brad Smeltzer, Susan Smeltzer, Dmitri Idiatov, and Valentin Vydrine in 1998; personal data of Brad Smeltzer and Susan Smeltzer (Mali).
Williams, Gordon, and Demba Traoré. Field report on Soninke in Senegal. 1990.
Soumaré, Mamadou. Le Sooninke en Mauritanie: Etude dialectologique. Institut des Langues Nationales, R.I.M., 1985.
Data received from Peter Jorgensen.
Boso (Xainyaxo, Tieyaxo, Tiema Cewe, Sorogama): Field data of Brad Smeltzer and Susan Smeltzer.
Duun, Banka, Jo (Jowulu): Lee Hochstetler. Enquête linguistique sur le duungoma: une langue samogo parlée au Burkina Faso et au Mali. Mandenkan, 31, 1996, pp. 1–57.
Seeku: data from Tassere Sawadogo (Burkina Faso).
Bobo: The map reproduces, in major lines, the map from the following book: Le Moal, Guy. Les Bobo: Nature et fonction des masques. Paris: ORSTROM, 1980.
Also taken into account:
Sanou J.-F. 1993 – Dafrassi
Jean-François Sanou. Le bobo dans l'environnement linguistique
bukinabé. // Vorträge Internationales Symposium – Berichte
des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268. Franfurt am Main, 16.12. –
19.12.1992, SS. 133-153.
Mwan, Wan, Dan (Yacuba) in Côte d'Ivoire: unpublished data collected by Margrit Bolli.
Kla-Dan: data collected by Valentin Vydrine in 2001 and 2002.
Unpublished data received from Friederike Liupke and Greg Pruett on the location of Jallonke in Guinea.
Guro and neigboring peoples: Ariane Deluz. Organisation sociale et tradition orale: Les Guro de Côte-d’Ivoire. (Cahiers de l’Homme. Nouvelle série IX). Paris: Mouton & Co. École Pratique des Hautes Études, 1970, 196 pp.
Mano and Dan in Liberia: James C. Riddell, Kjell Zetterstrom, Peter G. Dorliae, Michael J. Hohl. Clan and chiefdom maps for the Mã (Mano) and Dã (Gio). Liberian Studies Journal, IV, 2, 1971–1972, pp. 157–162.
Beng: Wolfgang Paesler. Esquisse phonologique du Beng, parler de Ouassadougou (sous-préfecture de M’Bahiakro) (Côte-d’Ivoire). In: Inge Egner, éd. Esquisses phonologiques de trois langues ivoiriennes: beng, dida, yaouré. Esquisses linguistiques ivoiriennes. Abidjan: Institut de Linguistique Appliquée. ACCT, 1992, pp. 1–47.
Yowre (Yaure): Frank Lautenschlager. Esquisse phonologique du Yaouré, parler de Zégata (sous-préfecture de Bouaflé) (Côte-d’Ivoire). In: Inge Egner, éd. Esquisses phonologiques de trois langues ivoiriennes: beng, dida, yaouré. Esquisses linguistiques ivoiriennes. Abidjan: Institut de Linguistique Appliquée. ACCT, 1992, 41 p.
Gadou, Henri. Quelques aspects des processus phonologiques, morphologiques et énonciatifs de la langue yaouré. Tomes I, II. Université Paris VII, 1995, 658 pp.
Gban: J. Le Saout. Etude descriptive du gban. Paris: LACITO, 1976.
Data received from Taki Robert and Olive Howard
Information received from Robert Oya Taki (Oumé, Côte d'Ivoire)
Tura: Thomas Bearth. L’énoncé toura. 1971. Unpublished data collected by Thomas Bearth under the auspices of SIL.
Field data collected by Dmitri Idiatov and Valentin Vydrine.
San and Sane: Suzy Platiel. Description du parler Samo de Toma, phonologie-syntaxe. Thèse de Doctorat d’État. Paris: Université René Descartes, 1974.
Information on the San area in Mali: Kalilou Tera (Institut de Linguistique Appliquée, Abidjan), oral communication.
Bisa: Bettie Vanhoudt. Lexique bisa-français, suivi d’un index français-bisa. Mandenkan, 34, 1999, 113 pp.
Boko, Busa, Bokobaru, Kyenga, Shanga: Ross M. Jones. The Boko/Busa language cluster. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 30. München: LINCOM Europa, 1998, 353 pp.
Any comments on this paper should be directed to
Ted Bergman
Comments or questions
on the maps should be directed to Valentin Vydrine