Alternate Names: Eastern Malinke, Kankan Maninka, Malinké, Mande, Maninka, Southern Maninka
Dialects: Amana (Kourousa), Baliya, Gbereduu, Maninka-Mori (Mori), Toron, Wasulunkakan (Wasolon Maninka, Wassulu, Wassulunka, Wassulunke, Wasuu). Maninka of Liberia is the same as Maninka of Guinea (Eastern Maninkakan). Bambara , of Mali and parts of Senegal is not vastly different. Eastern Maninkakan of Côte d’Ivoire is reportedly similar to Bambara; Western Maninkakan , of south central and southeast Senegal is considerably different. Lexical similarity: 92% with Wasulunkakan dialect, 79% with Sankaran Maninka ,, 72% with Konyanka Maninka ,. A member of macrolanguage Mandingo ,.
Status Notes: De facto language of national identity.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 3,000,000 in Guinea (2012 V. Vydrin). 73,500 Wasulu. Population total all countries: 3,531,800. L2 users: L2 for a considerable part of non-Manding population of Guinea, especially in the Guinée Forestière Region.
Language Use: Used as L2 by Kakabe [kke], Pular [fuf].
Language Development: Literacy materials taught in school. Dictionary. NT: 1932–1966.
Spoken In: Guinea
Writing System: Arabic, Latin, N’Ko
Nation of Origin: Guinea
Other Comments: Muslim.