Mandé
Mandé refers to a group of closely related West African languages spoken by the Mandé peoples, primarily in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Ivory Coast. These languages form a major branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The most widely spoken Mandé languages include Bambara, Dyula, and Maninkakan, which are often mutually intelligible to a degree. Bambara is the de facto national language of Mali and is spoken by a significant portion of the population. Dyula and Maninkakan are important trade languages in parts of West Africa, particularly in historical trading networks.
The Mandé languages are characterized by a complex tonal system and a rich morphology, with verb conjugations