Ethnologue.com home

Ethnologue: Languages of the World
16th edition

Ethnologue: Languages of the World
US$ 100.00
Add to cart

Preview print edition

Most Recent
SIL Publications
Reduced Price SIL Publications


ABOUT SSL CERTIFICATES
Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Burkina Faso > Konabéré

Konabéré

A language of Burkina Faso

ISO 639-3: bbo

Population  35,000 in Burkina Faso (1995 SIL). Population total all countries: 60,000.
Region  Banwa Province. Tansilla is center, with a 25 km radius. Also in Mali.
Language map  Burkina Faso, reference number 25
Alternate names   Black Bobo, Bobo, Bobo Fi, Bobo Fign, Bobo Fing, Northern Bobo Madare
Dialects  Yaba, Sankuma (Sarokama), Jèrè, Tankri, Kure, Kukoma (Koma). 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.
Classification  Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Northwestern, Soninke-Bobo, Bobo
Language use  Home. Jula [dyu] is also used by most men with good proficiency and some women for common topics, government, and trade. French is spoken by the educated.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 5% or below. Grammar. Bible: 2005.
Comments  The government calls them ‘Bobo Madaré’. ‘Bobo’ is Bambara word for Bobo Madaré, Buamu or Bomu. CV, CVC, CVV, CCV; tonal. Peasant agriculturalists. Traditional religion, Muslim, Christian.

Also spoken in:

Mali

Language name   Bobo Madaré, Northern
Population  25,000 in Mali (2007 SIL).
Region  A rectangle-like area around Bura and Mafune.
Language map  Mali, Enlarged Area
Alternate names  Black Bobo, Bobo, Bobo Da, Bobo Fi, Bobo Fign, Bobo Fing, Finng
Dialects  San, Yaba, Tankire.
Language use  Also use Bamanankan [bam], Jula [dyu], or Bomu [bmq].
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 10%.
Comments  Konakuma is the self-name of the people. Kuma means people and béré means speech. The term ‘Bobo’ has been carelessly applied to the Bwa people or their languages Buamu and Boomu. The Bambara names ‘Black Bobo’ (Bobo Fing) and ‘Red Bobo’ (Bobo Oule for Buamu and Bomu) only add confusion. Traditional religion, Christian, Muslim.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

DAVISON, Phil, author. 1992. Compte rendu d'une enquête au pays bobo-fing.

TIENDRÉBÉOGO, Beatrice, author. 2007. "Rapport Sociolinguistique sur la Langue Bobo Madaré."  Available online