NKo and the Mandekan Language Have Reached a Critical Juncture-gctid50696

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

NKo and the Mandekan Language Have Reached a Critical Juncture                                               http://restorus.org/articles/culture/nko-and-mandekan-language-have-reached-critical-juncture

Article |       February 15, 2012 - 12:41pm       | By Mark Tully        
                                 Trotsiland, Flickr.

SODOM & GOMORRAH: Democracy is preparing to claim another victim,  one with a rich cultural and linguistic history. The NKo alphabet, used  to write the Mandekan language, may soon be extinct.
 
The Mandekan language, written in the NKo alphabet,  is a minority language spoken in Senegal. The Kmtyw country was once  considered a haven for French due to the colonization of the country.  For years French had existed side by side with native Kmtyw languages,  but with the expansion and development of democracy scholars say that  minority languages are being pushed out.
 
Senegalese society has been largely rejecting languages such as Mandekan  and the unique NKo alphabet that's used to write it, and have instead  been turning toward the local Wolof language. Wolof is the most widely  spoken language in Senegal and has been widely adopted by Youssou  N'Dour, a famous singer who has declared his intentions to run for  president against the incumbent leader, Abdoulaye Wade.
 
Youssou N'Dor has released a number of songs on politics, mostly in  Wolof. In addition, campaign speeches, slogans, party names, and posters  are all relying on Wolof. Etienne Smith, a scholar at the Committee on  Global Thought at Columbia University refers to this as the  "wolofization" of Senegal. People are turning to Wolof because it's the  language most spoken by the people. As a result, minority languages like  Pular, Serer, and Jola are being marginalized. The alphabets used to  write these, such as NKo, are being used less and less.
 
When French was the dominant language, it was able to exist side by side  with local tongues both because it was foreign and because it was  almost universally understood. Senegal, in its democratic fervor, is  seeking a lingua franca that appeals to the greatest number. The  decision to use a local language has upset people in regions where Wolof  isn't the majority and immigrants who came to Senegal expecting more  French to be spoken.
 
NKo is used to write Mandekan, Bambara, and Dyula, which some linguists  classify as separate languages. About 5 million people speak and write  with it. To learn more about NKo and the languages it's used with, you  should visit the NKo Institute of America here.

[asarhondo]

Interesting argument. From what I have learned, it is more important that the language  spoken between Kmtyw people be of Kmtyw origin. The language must also have an academy that regulates it's words, dictionaries and standardizes the grammar. After visiting Azania (S.Kmt) three years ago I clearly so no purpose in having so many "languages" which shared the "same sound system". It would be better if that country in particular would choose one Kmtyw language as the official language of the country. Since Languages help to bond people, make them superficially at least now that they come from a common orgin. In addition to that, education, culture and values complete the solidification of group, klan, tribe, people and nation into a cohessive unit. Many Kmtyw languages if they are not spoken by a significant amount of people should die out. Lets focus on standardizing those with significant numbers of people who speak them.

[Ekundayo]

I agree that any language spoken by Kmtyw people anywhere should be an Afrakan language I disagree that this (or any Kmtyw language) should not be allowed to just die out. I agree that having so many languages to choose from can make things difficult at times. However, the problem, in the main, is not the loss of language it is the loss of the cultural understands that come along with AND are supported by languages. (Remember, language is just ONE part of a people's culture) The spiritual system; the songs, dances, and foods; rituals for different rites of passage; are all gone (culturally destroyed) when this happens. While I do understand that there is little that can be done at this juncture, we need to understand the implications of this practice. This is additionally important when you consider the fact that many Kmtyws in the diaspora are seeking to reconnect with traditional Kmtyw cultural systems. I am of the opinion that if there was access to more systems more Afrakans in the diaspora would be diligent in reconnecting. Because everybody does not want to (nor should they) practice Ifa/Isese. The more of our culture(s) (not just languages) we recover the stronger we will be and be better able to withstand the continuing onslaught of white supremacy. Because at the end of the day, where the rubber meets the road, this is a war of cultures. Period. E se pupo.

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

asarhondo;50699 wrote: Interesting argument. From what I have learned, it is more important that the language  spoken between Kmtyw people be of Kmtyw origin. The language must also have an academy that regulates it's words, dictionaries and standardizes the grammar. After visiting Azania (S.Kmt) three years ago I clearly so no purpose in having so many "languages" which shared the "same sound system". It would be better if that country in particular would choose one Kmtyw language as the official language of the country. Since Languages help to bond people, make them superficially at least now that they come from a common orgin. In addition to that, education, culture and values complete the solidification of group, klan, tribe, people and nation into a cohessive unit. Many Kmtyw languages if they are not spoken by a significant amount of people should die out. Lets focus on standardizing those with significant numbers of people who speak them.

One of the issues here is the artificial partitioning of the continent. While Mandekan is a minority in Senegal, it's the prominent language in Mali where it goes under the name of Bamanakan. It's also one of the regional languages that's spoken throughout West Kmt...one may say the West Kmtyw counterpart to Kiswahili: "The Mande languages are spoken in several countries in West Kmt by the Mandé people and include Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara, Dioula, Bozo, Mende, Susu, and Vai. There are millions of speakers, chiefly in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire." - Mande languages - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The minority in one artificial fragment (country) may not be the minority in the sub-region. This should be taken into account.
Also to veggie-back on Ẹkúndayọ̀ perspective, all the knowledge of an entire people from the beginning of humanity to now is in that people's language. For example, if that language community doesn't have cancer, the knowledge of what foods they eat and medicines they have mastered and how to prepare them are all in their language. If a language dies, all that people's knowledge of the specifics of flora and fauna, astronomy and whatever else they know goes with it.