Bullom So language
Encyclopedia
The Bullom So language, also called Mmani or Mandingi, is an endangered language
spoken near the border between Guinea
and Sierra Leone
. It belongs to the Mel branch of the Niger–Congo
language family and is particularly closely related to the Bom language
. The people have intermarried with Temne
and Susu
speakers. As the few remaining speakers of Bullom So are all over 60, the language is considered moribund.
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
spoken near the border between Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. It belongs to the Mel branch of the Niger–Congo
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
language family and is particularly closely related to the Bom language
Bom language
The Bom language is an endangered language of Sierra Leone. It belongs to the Mel branch of the Niger–Congo language family and is particularly closely related to the Bullom So language. Most speakers are bilingual in Mende, and use of the Bom language is declining among members of the ethnic...
. The people have intermarried with Temne
Temne language
Temne is a language of the Atlantic subfamily of Niger–Congo languages spoken in Sierra Leone by about 2 million first speakers. One of the country's most widely spoken languages, it is spoken by 30% of the country’s population...
and Susu
Susu language
Sosoxui is the language of the Soso people of Guinea, West Africa. It is in the Mande language family.It is one of the national languages of Guinea and spoken mainly in the coastal region of the country. The language was also used by people in present-day Guinea as a trade language.e.g...
speakers. As the few remaining speakers of Bullom So are all over 60, the language is considered moribund.
External links
- Fieldwork on Mmani (Atlantic, Niger–Congo), a dying language of coastal Guinea-Conakry - a project funded by the Endangered Language Fund
- Ethnologue entry for Bullom So
- Mmani entry in the UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages