Minyanka (also known as Mamara, Miniyanka, Minya, Mianka, Minianka, or Tupiire) is a northern Senufo language spoken by about 750,000 people in southeastern Mali. It is closely related to Supyire. Minyanka is one of the national languages of Mali.<!--, along with Maasina Fulfulde and Western Maninka.-->

Phonology

Consonants

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |

! colspan="3" |Labial

! rowspan="2" |Alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Palatal

! colspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Labio-<br>velar

! rowspan="2" |Pharyn-<br>geal

! rowspan="2" |Glottal

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!<small>plain</small>

!<small>lab.</small>

!<small>pal.</small>

!<small>plain</small>

!<small>pal.</small>

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! colspan="2" |Nasal

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! rowspan="3" |Plosive

!<small>voiceless</small>

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!<small>voiced</small>

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!<small>prenasal</small>

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! rowspan="2" |Fricative

!<small>voiceless</small>

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!<small>voiced</small>

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! colspan="2" |Rhotic

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! colspan="2" |Approximant

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  • A pharyngeal fricative [ʕ] is also typically heard when in between vowels, or as an allophone of /ɡ/ when in intervocalic position.
  • Glottal sounds [h, ɦ] are only heard in the Bla dialect, instead of labio-velar sounds /k͡p, ɡ͡b, ŋ͡m/.
  • Sounds /k, ɡ/ can also be heard as fricatives [x, ɣ] when in intervocalic positions.

Vowels

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

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!Close

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!Close-mid

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!Open-mid

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!Open

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  • /u/ can also be heard as [y] when in the position of /j/.
  • /o/ can also be heard as [œ] when before a glottal /ʔ/.

See also

  • Senufo language

References

Further reading

  • Dombrowsky-Hahn, Klaudia (ed. by Miehe, Gudrun; Reineke, Brigitte; Roncador, Manfred von) (1999) Phénomènes de contact entre les langues Minyanka et Bambara (Sud du Mali). Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
  • Prost, André (1964) Contributrion à l'étude des langues Voltaiques. Dakar: Institut Francophone de l'Afrique Noire.
  • Minyanka-French-Bambara-English Dictionary to view online or download, from the Association for the Promotion of the Mamara language, Koutiala, Mali.
  • Resources in Mamara from SIL Mali
  • PanAfrican L10n page on Suppire/Minianka