Banyun language explained

Banyun
Nativename:	Bainouk, Nyun
States:	Guinea-Bissau, Senegal
Date:	2006–2022
Ref:	e26
Script:	Latin
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Fam2:	Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:	Atlantic
Fam4:	Senegambian
Fam5:	Wolof–Nyun
Fam6:	Nyun-Buy
Lc1:	bcz
Ld1:	Bainouk-Gunyaamolo
Lc2:	bab
Ld2:	Bainouk-Gunyuño
Lc3:	bcb
Ld3:	Bainouk-Samik (duplicate code)
Glotto:	bain1264
Glottorefname:	Bainounk
Ethnicity:	Bainuk people

Language:

gu-jaaxər

Banyun (Banyum), Nyun, or Bainouk, is a Senegambian dialect cluster of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.

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.^[1] The language is referred to as gu-jaaxər by its speakers.^[2]

See Baïnounk Gubëeher for the phonology of a closely related language, sometimes thought to be a dialect of Banyum.

Varieties

There are three varieties of Banyun: 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 area, within a triangle formed by the towns of Bignona, Tobor and Niamone or north of Ziguinchor. 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.

Notes and References

1. Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
2. Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.