Xaasongaxango
Niger-Congo
Xaasongaxango (also Khassonké, Xaasonga, Western Manding) is the Manding language of the Khasso region in western Mali, closely related to Bambara (bm), Maninka, and Dyula (dyu) within the Manding cluster of Western Mande. The Khasso were a 19th-century Bambara-speaking polity centered at Médine on the Senegal River, conquered by the French in 1857. Today Xaasongaxango is recognized by Mali as a national language alongside other Manding varieties, with bilingual education programs since 1985. Mutual intelligibility with Bambara is high, and many sources treat Khassonké as a dialect of Bambara, though distinct phonological features (notably tonal patterns and vowel system) and cultural identity warrant separate treatment.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Xaasongaxango
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Niger-Congo
| Meaning | Xaasongaxango | Kita Maninkakan | Eastern Maninka | Dyula | Bambara | Western Maninkakan | Mandinka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ji /dʒi/ | ji /dʒi/ | ji /dʒi/ | ji /dʒi/ | ji /dʒi/ | jiyo /dʒijo/ | jiyo /dʒijo/ |
| Fire | ta /ta/ | tasuma /tasuma/ | ta /ta/ | tasuma /tasuma/ | tasuma /tasuma/ | ta /ta/ | dimbaa /dimbaː/ |
| Sun | tili /tili/ | tle /tle/ | tele /tele/ | tile /tile/ | tile /tile/ | tilo /tilo/ | tiloo /tiloː/ |
| Moon | kalo /kalo/ | kalo /kalo/ | karo /karo/ | kalo /kalo/ | kalo /kalo/ | xaro /xaɾo/ | karoo /karoː/ |
| Star | lolo /lolo/ | lolo /lolo/ | lolo /lolo/ | lolo /lolo/ | dolo /dòlo/ | loolo /loːlo/ | looloo /loːloː/ |
| Night | su /su/ | su /su/ | su /su/ | su /su/ | su /su/ | suwo /suwo/ | suutoo /suːtoː/ |
| Mother | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | na /na/ | baa /baː/ |
| Father | fa /fa/ | fa /fa/ | fa /fa/ | fa /fa/ | fa /fa/ | ha /ha/ | faa /faː/ |
| I | ne /ne/ | ne /ne/ | ne /ne/ | n /ŋ́/ | ne /nè/ | nte /n̩te/ | nte /nte/ |
| You | i /i/ | i /i/ | i /i/ | i /í/ | i /í/ | ite /ite/ | ite /ite/ |
| We | an /án/ | an /án/ | an /án/ | an /án/ | an /án/ | ilan / ntelu /ilã / n̩telu/ | ntolu /ntolu/ |
| Name | toxo /toxo/ | tɔɔ /tɔː/ | tɔɔ /tɔː/ | tɔgɔ /tɔ́ɡɔ/ | tɔgɔ /tɔ̀ɡɔ/ | toxo /toxo/ | too /toː/ |
| Eye | ɲa /ɲa/ | ña /ɲa/ | ɲa /ɲa/ | ɲɛ /ɲɛ/ | ɲɛ /ɲɛ/ | ɲa /ɲa/ | ñaa /ɲaː/ |
| Ear | tulu /tulu/ | tulo /tulo/ | tolo /tolo/ | tulo /tulo/ | tulo /tulo/ | tulo /tulo/ | tuloo /tuloː/ |
| Nose | nun /nũ/ | nun /nũ/ | nun /nũ/ | nun /nũ/ | nun /nũ/ | nunŋo /nũŋo/ | nuŋo /nuŋo/ |
| Mouth | da /da/ | — | da /da/ | da /da/ | da /da/ | da /da/ | daa /daː/ |
| Tooth | ɲin /ɲĩ/ | ɲin /ɲĩ/ | ɲin /ɲĩ/ | ɲin /ɲĩ/ | ɲin /ɲĩ/ | ɲinŋo /ɲĩŋo/ | ñiŋo /ɲiŋo/ |
| Tongue | nɛn /nɛn/ | nɛn /nɛn/ | nɛn /nɛn/ | nɛn /nɛn/ | nɛn /nɛn/ | nenŋo /nẽŋo/ | neŋo /neŋo/ |
| Hand | bulu /bulu/ | bolo /bolo/ | bolo /bolo/ | bolo /bolo/ | bolo /bolo/ | bulo /bulo/ | buloo /buloː/ |
| Foot | sin /sin/ | — | sen /sen/ | sen /sen/ | sen /sèn/ | sinŋo /sĩŋo/ | siŋo /siŋo/ |
| Heart | dusu /dusu/ | dusu /dusu/ | jusu /dʒusu/ | dusu /dusu/ | dusu /dusu/ | jusukunŋo /dʒusukũŋo/ | sondomoo /sondomoː/ |
| Bone | xulu /xulu/ | kulu /kulu/ | kolo /kolo/ | kolo /kolo/ | kolo /kolo/ | xulo /xulo/ | kuloo /kuloː/ |
| Blood | jelu /dʒelu/ | joli /dʒoli/ | jeli /dʒeli/ | joli /dʒoli/ | joli /dʒoli/ | jelo /dʒelo/ | yeloo /jeloː/ |
| Love | kanu /kanu/ | kanu /kanu/ | kanin /kanĩ/ | kanu /kanu/ | kanu /kanu/ | kanu /kanu/ | kanu /kanu/ |
| Tree | yiri /jiɾi/ | yiri /jiɾi/ | yiri /jiɾi/ | yiri /jiri/ | jiri /dʒiri/ | yiro /jiɾo/ | yiroo /jiroː/ |
| Dog | wulu /wulu/ | wulu /wulu/ | wulu /wulu/ | wulu /wulu/ | wulu /wulu/ | wulo /wulo/ | wuloo /wuloː/ |
| Cat | jakuma /dʒakuma/ | ñaakuma /ɲaːkuma/ | ɲaari /ɲaːri/ | jakuma /dʒakuma/ | jakuma /dʒakuma/ | ɲaaro /ɲaːɾo/ | ñankuma /ɲankuma/ |
| Fish | ɲege /ɲeɡe/ | jɛgɛ /dʒɛɡɛ/ | jɛɛ /dʒɛː/ | jɛgɛ /dʒɛɡɛ/ | jɛgɛ /dʒɛɡɛ/ | yego /jeɡo/ | ñewo /ɲewo/ |
| House | so /so/ | so /so/ | bon /bon/ | so /so/ | so /so/ | bunŋo /bũŋo/ | buŋo /buŋo/ |
| Milk | nɔnɔ /nɔnɔ/ | nɔnɔ /nɔnɔ/ | nɔnɔ /nɔnɔ/ | nɔnɔ /nɔnɔ/ | nɔnɔ /nɔnɔ/ | nono /nono/ | nonoo /nonoː/ |
| Salt | kɔgɔ /kɔɡɔ/ | kɔgɔ /kɔɡɔ/ | kɔɔ /kɔː/ | kɔgɔ /kɔɡɔ/ | kɔgɔ /kɔɡɔ/ | xooxo /xoːxo/ | koo /koː/ |
| Iron | nege /neɡe/ | neke /neke/ | nɛɛ /nɛː/ | nɛgɛ /nɛɡɛ/ | nɛgɛ /nɛɡɛ/ | nego /neɡo/ | nee /neː/ |
| Eat | domu /domu/ | don /don/ | domun /domũ/ | dun /dun/ | dun /dũ/ | domo /domo/ | domo /domo/ |
| Drink | min /min/ | min /min/ | min /min/ | min /min/ | min /min/ | min /mĩ/ | miŋ /miŋ/ |
| One | kilin /kilin/ | kelen /kelen/ | kelen /kelen/ | kelen /kelen/ | kelen /kelen/ | kilin /kilĩ/ | kiliŋ /kiliŋ/ |
| Two | fula /fula/ | fila /fila/ | fila /fila/ | fila /fìla/ | fila /fìla/ | hula /hula/ | fula /fula/ |
| Three | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ | saba /saba/ |
| Four | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ | naani /naːni/ |
| Five | luulu /luːlu/ | loolu /lóːlu/ | loolu /lóːlu/ | duuru /dúːru/ | duuru /duːru/ | luulu /luːlu/ | luulu /luːlu/ |
| Hundred | keme /keme/ | — | kɛmɛ /kɛmɛ/ | kɛmɛ /kɛ̀mɛ́/ | kɛmɛ /kɛmɛ/ | keme /keme/ | keme /keme/ |
| Hello | i ni sogoma /i ni soɡoma/ | i ni soɣoma /i ni soɣoma/ | i ni se /i ni se/ | i ni sɔgɔma /i ni sɔɡɔma/ | i ni ce /i ni tʃɛ/ | — /—/ | salaam /salaːm/ |
| Thank you | i ni baara /i ni baːɾa/ | i ni baara /i ni baːɾa/ | i ni ce /i ni tʃe/ | i ni ce /i ni tʃe/ | i ni ce /i ni tʃɛ/ | — /—/ | abaraka /abaraka/ |
| Good | nyi /ɲi/ | ñuman /ɲuman/ | ka ɲi /ka ɲi/ | ɲuman /ɲuman/ | ka ɲi /ka ɲi/ | ɲima /ɲima/ | beteyaa /betejaː/ |
| Red | wuleŋ /wuleŋ/ | bilen /bileɲ/ | wulen /wulen/ | bilen /bilen/ | bilen /bilen/ | wulen /wulẽ/ | wuleŋ /wuleŋ/ |
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