Banyum (Banyun), Nyun, or Bainouk, is a
Senegambian
The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...
dialect cluster
A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...
of
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤠(Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤠� ...
and
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘ðž¤ðž¤²ðž¤« 𞤄ðž¤ðž¤§ðž¤¢ðž¥„𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
.
Spellings are ''Bagnoun, Banhum, Banyung'' and ''Bainuk, Banyuk''; other names are ''Elomay ~ Elunay''; for the Gunyaamolo variety ''Ñuñ'' or ''Nyamone'', and for Gunyuño ''Guñuun'' or ''Samik''.
[Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices] The language is referred to as ''gu-jaaxər'' by its speakers.
[Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. ''Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification''. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.]
See
Baïnounk Gubëeher
Baïnounk Gubëeher is a minority language of Senegal, whose speakers are concentrated in Djibonker, Casamance.
Phonology
Consonants
The consonant phonemes of Baïnounk Gubëeher are as follows:
Notes
*The phonemic status of geminated consona ...
for the phonology of a closely related language, sometimes thought to be a dialect of Banyum.
Varieties
There are three varieties of Banyum: Baïnouk-gunyaamolo, Baïnouk Samik, and Baïnouk gunyuño.
* Bainouk-Gunyaamolo is spoken by 30,000 people in 2013. It is spoken in the northern
Casamance River
The Casamance River () flows westward for the most part into the Atlantic Ocean along a path about in length. However, only are navigable. The Casamance is the principal river of the Kolda, Sédhiou, and Ziguinchor Regions in the southern po ...
area, within a triangle formed by the towns of Bignona, Tobor and Niamone or north of
Ziguinchor
Ziguinchor (; wo, Siggcoor ; ar, زيغينكور) is the capital of the Ziguinchor Region, and the chief town of the Casamance area of Senegal, lying at the mouth of the Casamance River. It has a population of over 230,000 (2007 estimate). It ...
. It is also spoken in Gambia.
* Baïnouk-Samik is spoken by 1,850 people in 2006. It is found mainly on the left bank of the Casamance River, around Samik and surrounding villages, approximately 20 km east of Ziguinchor.
* Baïnouk-Gunyuño (Bainounk-Gujaher) is spoken by 8,860 people in 2006. It is found in the region of
Cacheu and near
São Domingos in Guinea-Bissau.
References
Senegambian languages
Languages of Senegal
Languages of Guinea-Bissau
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