Mandinka language
| Mandinka | |
|---|---|
| Mandingo | |
| Mandinka kaŋo مَانْدِينْكَا كَانْجَوْ Mandingo مَانْدِنْجَوْ ߡߊ߲߬ߘߌ߲߬ߞߊ | |
| Pronunciation | [ma.ⁿdi.ᵑka ka.ŋo] |
| Native to | Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau |
| Region | Casamance, The Gambia, Senegal |
| Ethnicity | Mandinka |
Native speakers | 2.1 million (2017–2022) |
| Arabic, Latin, N'Ko, Garay | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Gambia |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mnk |
| Glottolog | mand1436 |
| Linguasphere | 00-AAA-aa |
The Mandinka language (Mandinka kaŋo; Ajami: مَانْدِينْكَا كَانْجَوْ; Glottocode: mand1436; ISO 639-3: mnk), also known as the Gambian or Mandingo, is a Mande language spoken by the Mandinka people of northern Guinea-Bissau, the Casamance region of Senegal, and The Gambia, where it is one of the principal languages.
Mandinka belongs to the Manding branch of Mande and is similar to Kassonke but with only 5 instead of 7 vowels, due to lacking the ATR distinction. The varieties spoken in the West Northern bank region in the Gambia borders on a pitch accent due to its proximity with non-tonal neighboring languages like Wolof.