The West Atlantic languages of West Africa are a major subgroup of the Niger–Congo languages.
Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance and the Upper Casamance. The largest city of Casamance is Ziguinchor.
The Mandinka language, or Mandingo, is a Mande language spoken by the Mandinka people of Guinea, northern Guinea-Bissau, the Casamance region of Senegal, and in The Gambia where it is one of the principal languages.
The Casamance conflict is an ongoing low-level conflict that has been waged between the Government of Senegal and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) since 1982. On May 1, 2014, the leader of the MFDC sued for peace and declared a unilateral ceasefire.
The Soninke language, also known as Serakhulle or Azer or Maraka, is a Mande language spoken by the Soninke people of West Africa. The language has an estimated 2.3 million speakers, primarily located in Mali and Mauritania, and also in Senegal, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea. It enjoys the status of a national language in Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and The Gambia.
Guinea-Bissau Creole, also known as Kiriol or Crioulo, is a creole language whose lexicon derives mostly from Portuguese. It is spoken in Guinea Bissau, Senegal and The Gambia. It is also called by its native speakers as guinensi, kriyol, or portuguis.
The Jola or Diola are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the Jola language, Fogni, is one of the six national languages of Senegal.
Senegal is a multilingual country: Ethnologue lists 36 languages, Wolof being the most widely spoken language.
Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta is a Jola scholar and musician from Mandinary, Gambia, who pioneered the research and documentation of the akonting, a Jola folk lute, as well as the related Manjago folk lute, the buchundu, in the mid-1980s. Prior to Jatta's work, these instruments were largely unknown outside the rural villages of the Senegambia region of West Africa.
Jola (Joola) or Diola is a dialect continuum spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. It belongs to the Bak branch of the Niger–Congo language family.
The Balanta are an ethnic group found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Senegal, Cape Verde and The Gambia. They are the second largest ethnic group of Guinea-Bissau, representing around a quarter of the population. Despite their numbers, they have remained outside the colonial and postcolonial state because of their social organisation. The Balanta can be divided into six dialects: Nyacra, Ganja (Mane), Naga, Patch, Sofar and Kentohe. The largest of which are the Balanta Kentohe.
The Bak languages are a group of typologically Atlantic languages of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau linked in 2010 to the erstwhile Atlantic isolate Bijago. Bak languages are non-tonal.
Balanta is a group of two closely related Bak languages of West Africa spoken by the Balanta people.
Banyun (Banyum), Nyun, or Bainouk, is a Senegambian dialect cluster of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.
Manjak or Manjack or Njak is a Bak language of Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The language is also known as Kanyop.
Papel, or Oium (Moium), is a Bak language of Guinea-Bissau.
Kwatay (Kuwaataay) is a divergent Jola language of Senegal.
Kasa, or Jóola-Kaasa is a Jola language of the Casamance region of Senegal and neighboring Gambia.
Jola-Felupe or Ejamat (Ediamat) is a Jola language of the Casamance region of Senegal and neighboring Guinea-Bissau, including around Calequisse (Kaləkis), on the western edge of the Manjak area south of the Cacheu River. A person is called ɸuluɸ or ajamuʂay by speakers of the dialect, and the language is called either ɛlɔp eluɸay or ɛlɔp ɛjamuʂay.
Jahanka is a Manding language of Guinea-Bissau and Guinea. It is partially intelligible with Mandinka..
