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Soninke

Soninke, also known as Sarakole, is a Mande language spoken in parts of Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia. It is closely related to the Mandinka language, and like Mandinka, it is written with the Arabic script. Soninke is the native language of the Soninke people, who are found mainly in the western part of Mali. In Senegal, they are found in the eastern part of the country, near the border with Mali. In Mauritania, they are found in the southern part of the country, near the border with Senegal. In Gambia, they are found in the central and western parts of the country. The Soninke people are known for their traditional skills in ironworking and goldsmithing. They are also known for their traditional music, which is characterized by its use of the kora (a stringed instrument) and the xalam (a percussion instrument). The Soninke language is a member of the Mande language family, which includes other languages such as Mandinka, Bambara and Jula. Soninke is mutually intelligible with Mandinka, which means that speakers of both languages can understand each other. Soninke is a tonal language, which means that the meaning of a word can change depending on the pitch of the speaker's voice. For example, the word for "dog" can mean either "animal" or "slave" depending on the tone of the speaker's voice. The Soninke language has two dialects: Standard Soninke and Sarakole. Standard Soninke is the dialect that is spoken in Mali, Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia. Sarakole is spoken in the city of Bamako in Mali. There are about 1.5 million speakers of Soninke worldwide. The majority of Soninke speakers are found in Mali, where they make up about 2% of the population. Other significant populations of Soninke speakers are found in Senegal (1%), Mauritania (1%), Gambia (1%) and Ivory Coast (0.5%).

Language group

Mande languages

Language locales, regions and scripts

Soninke
snk
Soninke, Mali, Latin
snk-Latn-ML
Soninke, Latin
snk-Latn
Soninke, Mali
snk-ML