Minyanka
Language · official in 1 country
Minyanka goes by many names: Mamara, the form used in Mali's 1996 language law, as well as Miniyanka, Minya, Mianka, Minianka and Tupiire. It is a northern Senufo language of southeastern Mali, closely related to Supyire, and one of the country's national languages.
The language on record
- ISO 639-3
- MYK
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Senufo
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Minyanka is official
Mali is the only country on record. Minyanka appears there on its own, beside the separate Senufo entry.
Official beside Minyanka
About Minyanka
Which Senufo group it belongs to
Minyanka, listed as Mamara, belongs with Supyire, Nanerigé and Sucite to the Suppire-Mamara languages of Northern Senufo. The Senufo languages form their own branch of Niger-Congo and are spoken in the south of Mali, the north of Ivory Coast and the southwest of Burkina Faso.
What happens to sounds between vowels
A voiced pharyngeal fricative, ʕ, is usually heard between vowels, as a variant of g. In the same position k and g often soften to the fricatives x and ɣ. The vowel u can sound as y next to j, and o as œ before a glottal stop.
The Bla dialect sets itself apart with glottal sounds, h and ɦ. Where other dialects have the double stops kp, gb and ŋm, made at the lips and the back of the mouth at once, Bla uses these glottals.
Common questions
Questions about Minyanka
Is Minyanka the same as Mamara?
Yes. Mamara is the name used in Mali's list of national languages; Minyanka, Miniyanka, Mianka and Tupiire are others.
Is Minyanka a Senufo language?
Yes, a northern Senufo language, closest to Supyire. Mali lists it separately from Senufo.