Data gathered by the Latin Union, engaged to promote the cultural heritages of their 37 state members.

Data on Bambara

Alternative names: Julakan, Bamanankan, Bamanan, Jurakan, Malinke, Dioula, Dyula

Classification: Mande, Eastern Mandinka.

Area: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Senegal

Number of speakers: 9,000,000

Malherbe (1983) quoted only 6 million speakers.

DGLFLF quotes 12 million speakers all together.

Campbell (2000) quotes 2 million speakers in Mali.

Language status:

Burkina Faso: No official status

Ivory Coast: No official status

Guinea: No official status

Mali: National language / lingua franca

Senegal: No official status

Vitality & transmission:

We have no information regarding the vitality of Bambara. It is probably not endangered, at least in Mali.

Media:

Radio: Bama Ken (Mali)

Radio: Kayira (Mali)

Radio-Klédu (Mali)

Radio-Liberté (Mali)

Radio-Mali (official radio organ)

Malian TV: airtime relatively balanced between Bambara and French.

Literature:

Jekabaara (Travaillons ensemble (“Working Together”), Malian monthly newspaper launched in 1986. Jekabaara has a circulation of between 3,000 and 13,000 copies)

Kalamene (Le Flambeau (“The Beacon”), Malian newspaper launched in July 1992. 5,000 copies.)

Kibaru (La Nouvelle (“The News”), Malian monthly review launched on March 10, 1972, circulation of between 12,000 and 17,000 copies)

Kote (newspaper)

Nieta (newspaper)

Programs on the Réseau africain des radios rurales et locales (“African network of rural and local radios”)

Instruction:

The Malian education system has included the use of Bambara for the past 20 years (primary school, literacy teaching…).

Historical observations

A bit of history…

1967: Bambara has been written in roman characters since then. Although rarely used as a script, its spelling system is now relatively stable.

80s: First efforts of teaching the national languages to Malian children.

March, 1991: Coup d’etat in Mali, and establishment of a new regime. Early developments of independent radio stations which begin to broadcast in Bambara.

1992 Constitution: The use of Bambara is approved in court for verbal exchange between judges and defendants, including in courts of appeal.

Sources, additional bibliography & links for more information

CANUT, Cécile (1996), Dynamiques linguistiques au Mali, CIRELFA / Agence de la Francophonie, diffusion Didier Erudition, coll. Langues et Développement.

CANUT, Cécile, KEITA, Boniface (1994), « Dynamique linguistique en zone mandingue : attitudes et comportements », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 89-161.

DOMBROWSKY, Klaudia (1994), « La situation socio-linguistique du sud du Mali (pays mynianka) », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 13-86.

DUMESTRE, Gérard et al. (1994), Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition.

DUMESTRE, Gérard (1994), « La dynamique des langues au Mali : le trinôme langues régionales – bambara – français », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 3-11.

DUMESTRE, Gérard (1994), « Le bambara dans la presse orale », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 281-308.

MALHERBE, Michel (1983), Les langages de l’humanité, Seghers.

PLUNGIAN, Vladimir A., TEMBINE, Issiaka (1994), « Vers une description sociolinguistique du pays dogon : attitudes linguistiques et problèmes de standardisation », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 163-195.

SKATTUM, Ingse (1994), « La presse écrite au Mali : un état des lieux », in G. Dumestre et al., Stratégies communicatives au Mali : langues régionales, bambara, français, coll. Langues et Développement, Didier Erudition, pp. 309-345.

DGLF

http://www.culture.fr/culture/dglf/bpi/bambara.html