John C Rigdon

Bambara / French / English Dictionary John C Rigdon

This book is intended to assist French and English speakers who are visiting West African countries where French and Bambara, are spoken. Bambara is a Mande language used in Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ghana. It is spoken principally among the Bambara ethnic group in Mali, where it is the national language and the most widely understood one. The number of speakers of this language is estimated from 3 million by Omniglot to 15 million by Wikipedia. Bambara and Jula (Dioula (dyu)) are considered dialects of Mandekan (Manding), but from my initial observations there are sufficient differences between the two to cause real confusion to an outsider. Bambara is used as a trade language in the northern and northwestern part of Burkina Faso and Jula is widely used in the southwest. Alternate names - Bamanakan, Beledugu, Ganadugu, San, Segou, Sikasso, Somono, Standard Bambara, Wasu-lunkakan (Maninkakan, Eastern, Wassulu, Wassulunka, Wassulunke, Wasulu, Wasuu). Many local dialects. The main division is standard Bambara, influenced heavily by Eastern Maninkakan [emk], and rural dialects. Bamanankan dialects are spoken in varying degrees by 80% of the Mali population. In Mali, Wasulunkakan is shared by both Bamanankan and Eastern Maninkakan, but in Guinea it is only a dialect of Eastern Maninkakan. This dictionary includes a guide to English, French, and Bambara pronunciation and grammar along with 8000 words in English and French paired with over 5,600 terms in Bambara.