Sorosoro sent a team to Senegal last fall to film in two linguistic communities, in collaboration with linguists of the Sénélangues project: the Baynunk language, in Casamance, and the Menik language, spoken by the Bedik, in the eastern part of the country.

Linguist Adjaratou Oumar Sall, from the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, gives us here a concise presentation of this language, illustrated by some of the material shot by Sorosoro.

Thanks to Adjaratou, we were able to film a large Bedik celebration. In the following months, we’ll publish more of the films shot during our stay in Senegal: tales, dances, ceremonies, as well as the usual clips on numbers, body parts, daily expressions, etc.

Menik is a Niger-Congo language (North Atlantic branch, West Atlantic group, Tenda subgroup). It separates into three dialects: Banapas, Biwol and Bëñolo. The filming took place in Bandafassi, area of Kedougou, in Banapas dialect.

The number of people who speak Menik is difficult to assess, and we have been provided with two different estimations: in 2002, the Christian NTM (New Tribes Mission) missionaries, who were the first to work on the language, estimated there were 3380 Bedik living in Senegal. In 2009, the subprefecture of Bandafassi estimated under 1000 the number of Menik speakers in the area of Kedougou.

With a few thousand speakers at the most, Menik can clearly be considered as endangered on a relatively short term. However, it is observed that the language is still being handed down to the young generations despite the fact that a majority of people in these villages speaks fluent Fula and French, used daily. Speakers of Menik, although perfectly accustomed to the environing culture and having a great sense of adaptability to the languages they’re in contact with, are linked with a strong feeling of identity thus protecting their language to a certain extent.

Please refer to the index elaborated by Adjaratou O. Sall for more information on Menik.

Linguist: Adjaratou Oumar Sall
Bedik area, image & sound: Muriel Lutz
Adjaratou’s interview, image & sound: Mathias de Vulpian
Editing: Caroline Laurent

Video created within the ANR Sénélangues project