Page Type: languageMarka | Ethnologue

RKM ISO 639-3

Marka

A language of Burkina Faso

ISO 639
rkm
Alternate Names
Dafing, Marka Dafing
Population
135,000 in Burkina Faso (2009 UNSD). Total users in all countries: 185,800.
Location:
Boucle du Mouhoun region: Bale, Banwa, Nayala, and Sourou provinces; Kossi and Mouhoun provinces: Nouna and Dedougou areas.
Language Status
6a (Vigorous).
Classification
Niger-Congo, Mande, Western, Central-Southwestern, Central, Manding-Jogo, Manding-Vai, Manding-Mokole, Manding, Manding-East, Marka-Dafin
Dialects
Safané, Nouna, Gassan. More than 80% inherent intelligibility of southeastern dialect around Safané; however, northwestern dialect region is 70%. The central dialect around Dembo village is well understood. Reportedly similar to Bambara [bam] or a variant of Jula [dyu]. Comprehension of Jula ranges from 45% in a southeastern villages to 85% in the northwest.
Typology
SOV; postpositions; genitives, articles, adjectives, numerals, relatives after noun heads; question word final; word order distinguishes subject, object, indirect object; CV.
Language Use
Used by all. Also use French [fra]. Also use Jula [dyu], but only men who travel. Used as L2 by Pana [pnq].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 5% haltingly in French [fra], some in Jula [dyu]. Literature. Radio. Grammar. Bible portions: 1987.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Marka
Writing
Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments
Marka is used for followers of the traditional religion, Dafing for Muslim speakers. Different from the Marka dialect of Soninke. Muslim, traditional religion.

Also Spoken in

Language Name
Marka
User Population
50,800 in Mali (2014 UNSD).
Location
Mopti region: Bankass circle, south of Dialassagou town; Ségou region: northeast Tominian circle, along Burkina Faso border.
Language Status
6a (Vigorous)
Other Comments
Used for followers of the traditional religion, Dafing for Muslim speakers. Different from the Marka name for Soninke [snk], and Marka-Jalan who speak the San dialect of Bamanankan [bam]. Muslim.
View other languages of Mali

Map

Location: Boucle du Mouhoun region: Bale, Banwa, Nayala, and Sourou provinces; Kossi and Mouhoun provinces: Nouna and Dedougou areas.