Soninke
Language · official in 1 country
Sooninkanxanne, the Soninke language, also goes by Serakhulle, Azer and Maraka. A Mande language of the Soninke people, spoken mainly in Mali and Mauritania, it is written in Latin letters with doubled vowels and also in Arabic script, and it is a national language in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia.
The language on record
- Own name
- Sooninkanxanne
- ISO 639-3
- SNK
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Mande
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Soninke is official
The record makes Soninke official only in Mali; Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia treat it as a national language.
Official beside Soninke
About Soninke
Where Soninke communities live
Soninke is spoken mainly in Mali and Mauritania, and in Mali it belongs to the region of Kayes in the west. Smaller communities, listed here in order of size, live in Senegal, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea.
Which languages Soninke is related to
It is a Mande language but not a Manding one, so it stands apart from Bambara and Maninka. Bozo, spoken by the fishing people of the Inner Niger Delta, has Soninke as its closest relative. Some Arabic words passed through Soninke before Bambara borrowed them.
How the language is spelled
Long vowels are written double, as in aa or uu, and the name Sooninkanxanne also has a form in Arabic script. One dialect, Azer, shows Berber influence.
Common questions
Questions about Soninke
What is Serakhulle?
Another name for Soninke, along with Azer and Maraka. The speakers' own name for the language is Sooninkanxanne.
Is Soninke related to Bambara?
Both are Mande languages, but Soninke sits outside the Manding group that includes Bambara. Some Arabic loanwords reached Bambara through Soninke.