Bambara language
| Bambara | |
|---|---|
| Bamanankan بَمَنَنكَن ߓߡߊߣߊ߲ߞߊ߲ | |
| Native to | Mali |
| Region | central southern Mali |
| Ethnicity | Bamana |
| Speakers | L1: 4.2 million (2012) L2: 10 million (2012) |
| Latin, Arabic (Ajami), N'ko | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Mali (co-official) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | bm |
| ISO 639-2 | bam |
| ISO 639-3 | bam |
| Glottolog | bamb1269 |
Bambara, also known as Bamana (N'Ko script: ߓߡߊߣߊ߲) or Bamanankan (N'Ko script: ߓߡߊߣߊ߲ߞߊ߲; Arabic script: بَمَنَنكَن), is a lingua franca and national language of Mali spoken by perhaps 14 million people, natively by 4.2 million Bambara people and about 10 million second-language users. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the population of Mali speak Bambara as a first or second language. It has a subject–object–verb clause structure and two lexical tones.