Konabéré

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A language of Burkina Faso

ISO 639-3
bbo
Alternate Names
Black Bobo, Bobo, Bobo Fi, Bobo Fign, Bobo Fing, Northern Bobo Madare
Population

35,000 in Burkina Faso (1995 SIL). Population total all countries: 60,000.

Location

Banwa Province, in and around Tansilla. Also in Mali.

Language Maps
Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Northwestern, Soninke-Bobo, Bobo
Dialects

Jèrè, Kukoma (Koma), Kure, Sankuma (Sarokama), Tankri, Yaba. Northern Bobo Madaré has 20%–30% intelligibility of Southern Bobo Madaré. All dialects of Northern understand Yaba, centered in Tansilla. Separate literature may be needed for the Mali dialect. Some linguists treat Bobo as a separate major branch of Mande. Sya is the prestige dialect in Mali and used for literature.

Typology

CV, CVC, CVV, CCV; tonal

Language Use

Home. Jula [dyu] also used by most men with good proficiency and some women for common topics, government, and trade. French [fra] is spoken by the educated.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 5% or below. Grammar.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Konabéré
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Ethnonym: Bobo Madaré. ‘Bobo’ is Bambara word for Bobo Madaré, Buamu or Bomu. Traditional religion, Muslim, Christian.

Also spoken in:

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