| Balanta | |
| States: | (Balanta-Kentohe) Guinea-Bissau, (Balanta-Ganja) the Gambia, Senegal |
| Ethnicity: | Balanta (2022) |
| Date: | 2021–2022 |
| Ref: | e27 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Senegambian |
| Fam4: | Bak–Bijago |
| Fam5: | Bak proper |
| Minority: |  Senegal |
| Lc1: | ble |
| Ld1: | Balanta-Kentohe |
| Lc2: | bjt |
| Ld2: | Balanta-Ganja |
| Glotto: | bala1300 |
| Glottorefname: | Balanta |
Balanta (or Balant) is a group of two closely related Bak languages of West Africa spoken by the Balanta people.
Balanta is now generally divided into two distinct languages: Balanta-Kentohe and Balanta-Ganja.[1] [2]
The Balanta-Kentohe (Kəntɔhɛ) language is spoken by about 423,000 people on the north central and central coast of Guinea-Bissau (where as of 2006 it is spoken by about 397,000 people, many of whom can be found in the Oio Region[3]) as well as in the Gambia. Films and portions of the Bible have been produced in Balanta-Kentohe.
The Kəntɔhɛ dialect is spoken in the north, while the Fora dialect is spoken in the south.[4]
Ethnologue lists the alternative names of Balanta-Kentohe as Alante, Balanda, Balant, Balanta, Balante, Ballante, Belante, Brassa, Bulanda, Frase, Fora, Kantohe (Kentohe, Queuthoe), Naga and Mane. The Naga, Mane and Kantohe dialects may be separate languages.
Balanta-Ganja is spoken by 86,000 people (as of 2006) in the southwest corner of and the south of Senegal. Literacy is less than 1% for Balanta-Ganja. In September 2000, Balanta-Ganja was granted the status of a national language in Senegal, and as of then can now be taught in elementary school.
Ethnologue lists the alternative names of Balanta-Ganja as Alante, Balanda, Balant, Balante, Ballante, Belante, Brassa, Bulanda, Fjaa, Fraase (Fraasɛ). Its dialects are Fganja (Ganja) and Fjaalib (Blip).
Balanta has case prefixes and suffixes alternatively interpreted as a definite article dependent on the noun class.
The following are the phonemes of the Balanta dialects.[5] [6]
| Plosive | voiceless | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| voiced | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||
| prenasal vl. | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||
| prenasal vd. | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||
| prenasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||
| Rhotic | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||||
| Lateral | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||||
| Approximant | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||||
| High | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Mid | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | |
| pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Low | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ |
In Senegal, Decree No. 2005-979 provides for an orthography of Balanta as follows:[7] [8]
| Letters of the alphabet (Senegal) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | Ɓ | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | M | N | Ñ | Ŋ | O | R | S | T | Ŧ | U | W | Y | |
| a | b | ɓ | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | l | m | n | ñ | ŋ | o | r | s | t | ŧ | u | w | y | |
| pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | varies | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | varies | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | varies | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | varies | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||