Map of so-called “Malinké” language varieties divided by the Western vs Eastern distinction of 5 vs 7 vowels
This is a write-up for people interested in learning Manding varieties that are often generically called "Malinké" in French and occasionally English. At other times, people will use the term "Maninka" or "Mandingo" in English.
Malinké, a Series of Manding Language Varieties
The term "malinké" is the commonly used French language term used to refer to a range of Manding varieties spoken primarily parts of Guinea, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal.
In the language itself, people designate the language in a few ways that all boil down to something like this:
Maninkakan
Historically, this can be broken down as follows:
Manden-ka-kan
Manden-inhabitant-language"Language of the people of Manden"
The term Manden is the name of a place that is located roughly at the border of what is modern-day Mali and Guinea. It's also the name of political formation, which at its height in the 13th century ruled over must of West Africa. In English and French, this entity is often called the "Mali empire".
The linguistic descendent of this political formation is the Manding language-dialect continuum. The term "Manding" itself is itself an artificial catch-all term adapted from Manden.
"Malinké" (or "Maninka") thus designates one major iteration or branch of the Manding varieties. The other major ones are Bambara, Jula (AKA "Dioula") and Mandinka (AKA "Mandingo").
That said, despite sharing a common name (and the fact that native speakers have sense of common identity), "Malinké" does not designate a single speech variety. For those interested in learning the language, the following can be usefully distinguished:
Western Maninka varieties: 5 vowel varieties. Spoken locally west of Kita in Mali up to around the west of Kédougou in Senegal. The major varieties or dialects that fit into this category are Kita Maninka (Mali), Kiniéba Maninka (Mali), Niokholo Maninka (Senegal) and Khassonke (Mali).
Eastern Maninka varieties: 7 vowel varieties (which makes them closer to Bambara and Jula). Spoken locally the west of Bamako and the east of Kita in Mali. Also widely spoken across the highlands and forest region of Guinea. The Maninka of Kankan in Guinea functions more or less as "standard Guinean Maninka".
Ivoirian Maninka/Jula varieties: 7 vowel varieties. Spoken in the northwestern part of Côte d'Ivoire around cities like Odienné, Séguéla and Mankono. Sometimes designated as "Malinké" in French in Côte d'Ivoire, but also sometimes considered to be different varieties of "Jula", there are range of different varieties with different local names based on location: Koya, Worodugu, Odienné, etc.
A detailed map of Maninka language varieties that are often generically called “Malinké” in French or English
What Variety of "Malinké" Should You Learn?
Practically speaking, you can choose to study or focus on a particular variety based on a place that you will be going or where you friends or family members are from:
Senegal and Western Mali: Ideally, you focus on Western Maninka. If the lack of resources if limiting, you may also find "Eastern Maninka" useful. And if you are going to be in Mali, Bambara may also be useful because its general the lingua franca of most Malian cities and towns. Plus it has more resources for study.
Guinea and Midwestern Mali: Ideally, you focus on Eastern Maninka. In Guinea, this is clear. In midwestern Mali, you may find that it's easier to study Bambara since that is the lingua franca of most of the country and it has more resources for study.
Côte d'Ivoire: You have a choice. You may sometimes find that Eastern Maninka resources (such as Guinean Maninka) are useful for sounding more local in northwestern Côte d'Ivoire, but you may also find that it's easier to focus on learning lingua franca Jula since that is the form of Manding that dominates the markets and cities of the country. Lingua franca Jula is so close to Bambara that you may also find them very helpful as well.
Resources for the Different "Malinké" Varieties
Here are links for various resources for learning the different Malinké or Maninka varieties as laid out above.
Maninka of Senegal and Western Mali
Resources for Learning Western Maninka — A write-up with a description, map and various links for learning "Malinké" as spoken in Senegal and Western Mali.
Resources for Learning Diakhanka/Jahanka — A write-up with various links for learning Jahaka.
“Malinké de Kita” by Denis Creissels — A linguistic grammar focused specifically on the Maninka spoken in and around Kita. Note that “Kita Maninka” is a Western Manding variety with 5 vowels, but it is distinct from the the Western Maninka of Western Mali (near Kiniéba and Kayes) and Senegal Not written for language learners, but a comprehensive reference.
Maninka of Guinea and Midwestern Mali
Beginner Maninka Course — A full online course for beginners with video lessons, written texts, interactive exercises, audio flashcards, speaking activities, etc.
Maninka Lessons Playlist on YouTube — A series of lessons in English that teach the basics of Maninka (AKA “Malinke”).
"I di an samba, huh?": A Maninka Study Guide for Guinea — A learner’s grammar or textbook written produced by two Peace Corps volunteers in Guinea in the early 2000s. The orthography used isn’t official and it sometimes doesn’t distinguish vowel length or open versus closed vowels (i.e., e/ɛ and o/ɔ), but full of practical Maninka grammar information for learners of the language.
"Malinké/Dioula" of Côte d'Ivoire
Beginner Maninka Course — A full online course focused on Maninka as spoken in Guinea, but also useful for northwestern Côte d'Ivoire. For beginners with video lessons, written texts, interactive exercises, audio flashcards, speaking activities, etc.
Beginner Jula/Bambara Course — A full online course that covers standard Jula and Bambara. For beginners with video lessons, written texts, interactive exercises, audio flashcards, speaking activities, etc.
Beginners Guide to Learning Bambara/Jula — A write-up of all the resources available from An ka taa for learning Jula or Bambara
Resources for Learning Koyaka/Koyaga — A write-up with a description and links to various resources for learning Koyaka/Koyaga as spoken in and around Mankono.
A write-up breaking down the term “Malinké” and listing various resources for learning the specific forms of the language that are spoken in Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire.