Zialo language
Encyclopedia
Zialo is a language spoken by the Zialo people in Guinea
.
The language of Zialo which belongs to the Southwestern group of the Mande
branch of the Niger–Congo
language family is spoken by approximately 25,000 people residing in the province of Macenta
in the southeast of Guinea. The Zialo area covers over 50 villages (including two centers of subprefectures). Nearly a third of all Zialo live now in the nearby towns of Macenta
and Gekedou, as well as in the city of Conakry
. The Zialo language does not have its own writing system; people use French in all official paperwork.
Zialo was discovered and studied by the Moscow-based linguist Kirill Babaev, member of the Russian Linguistic Expedition to Guinea, in January–February 2010. Before that, Zialo was considered a remote dialect of the language of Loma, however, significant differences were discovered between the two. The tonology and phonetics of Zialo do resemble Loma, but the lexicon and the morphological systems of Zialo are closer to those of Bandi
and Mende
. Zialo is characterized by the extensive use of nasal vowels and consonants, the wide system of initial consonant alternations, a great number of analytic verbal constructions of time and aspect, and over 15 sets of personal pronouns. Zialo speakers name five major dialects of the language: Bayawa, Wolo-Ziolo, Woyjawa, Kelighigo and Lawolozu, of which the last one seems the most specific.
The Zialo probably came to their present location from the south, the present-day territory of Liberia
, as indicated by their legends. Nowadays, the majority of Zialo are Christians; there are also groups of Muslims and animists.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
.
The language of Zialo which belongs to the Southwestern group of the Mande
Mande languages
The Mande languages are spoken in several countries in West Africa by the Mandé people and include Mandinka, Soninke, Bambara, Bissa, Dioula, Kagoro, Bozo, Mende, Susu, Yacouba, Vai, and Ligbi...
branch of the Niger–Congo
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
language family is spoken by approximately 25,000 people residing in the province of Macenta
Macenta
Macenta is a town in southeastern Guinea, founded by the Toma people. Population 88,376 .-Geography:Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea. It is located in the Guinea Highlands on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou...
in the southeast of Guinea. The Zialo area covers over 50 villages (including two centers of subprefectures). Nearly a third of all Zialo live now in the nearby towns of Macenta
Macenta
Macenta is a town in southeastern Guinea, founded by the Toma people. Population 88,376 .-Geography:Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea. It is located in the Guinea Highlands on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou...
and Gekedou, as well as in the city of Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
. The Zialo language does not have its own writing system; people use French in all official paperwork.
Zialo was discovered and studied by the Moscow-based linguist Kirill Babaev, member of the Russian Linguistic Expedition to Guinea, in January–February 2010. Before that, Zialo was considered a remote dialect of the language of Loma, however, significant differences were discovered between the two. The tonology and phonetics of Zialo do resemble Loma, but the lexicon and the morphological systems of Zialo are closer to those of Bandi
Bandi language
The Bandi language, also known as Bande, Gbande, Gbandi and Gbunde, is a Mande language. It is spoken primarily in Lofa County in northern Liberia by the Bandi people....
and Mende
Mende language
Mende is a major language of Sierra Leone, with some speakers in neighboring Liberia. It is spoken by the Mende people and by other ethnic groups as a regional lingua franca in southern Sierra Leone....
. Zialo is characterized by the extensive use of nasal vowels and consonants, the wide system of initial consonant alternations, a great number of analytic verbal constructions of time and aspect, and over 15 sets of personal pronouns. Zialo speakers name five major dialects of the language: Bayawa, Wolo-Ziolo, Woyjawa, Kelighigo and Lawolozu, of which the last one seems the most specific.
The Zialo probably came to their present location from the south, the present-day territory of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, as indicated by their legends. Nowadays, the majority of Zialo are Christians; there are also groups of Muslims and animists.
External links
- Babaev, Kirill. Zialo: the Newly-Discovered Mande Language of Guinea. München: Lincom, 2011. 260 pp. ISBN 978-3-862880-16-4.
- The Zialo language on the 'Mande languages' portal
- The Zialo people at Joshua Project