| Siamou | |
| Nativename: | Sɛmɛ |
| States: | Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali |
| Speakers: | 40,000 |
| Dateprefix: | ca. |
| Date: | 1999 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic-Congo |
| Fam3: | Kru? |
| Iso3: | sif |
| Glotto: | siam1242 |
| Glottorefname: | Siamou |
The Siamou language, also known as Seme (Sɛmɛ), is a language spoken mainly in Burkina Faso. It is part of the Kru languages or unclassified within the proposed Niger–Congo languages. It is also spoken in Ivory Coast and Mali, and could likely be a language isolate.
The speakers call themselves Seme. The Dioula language exonym is Siamou.
Siamou is traditionally classed as Kru. However, according to Roger Blench (2013) and Pierre Vogler (2015), the language bears little resemblance to Kru.[1] Güldemann (2018) also leaves out Siamou as unrelated to Niger-Congo and considers it a language isolate.[2] Glottolog considers it a language isolate on that basis.
Siamou word order is SOV, like the Senufo languages, but unlike the SVO Central Gur languages.[2]
In 1999, it was spoken by 20,000 people in western Burkina Faso and another 20,000 in the Ivory Coast and Mali. In Burkina Faso, it is mainly spoken in the province of Kénédougou, around the provincial capital Orodara and the surrounding villages of Bandougou, Didéri, Diéri, Diéridéni, Diossogou, Kotoudéni, Lidara, and Tin.[3] Siamou has one major dialect, Bandougou. In addition, there are minor dialectal differences among the Siamou spoken in Orodara and in surrounding villages. It is also spoken in Toussiana Department of Burkina Faso.