Diula
/ˈdiː.ʊ.lə/noun
A variant spelling of Dioula, a Mande language and the name of a historically trading population of West Africa.
Did you know?Dioula became widely used as a trade language across West Africa, allowing merchants from different ethnic and linguistic communities to negotiate across major caravan routes.
Etymological Timeline
Mande period
Mande
dyula
“Merchant or trader”
Medieval West Africa
Manding
dyula
“A merchant, especially one involved in long-distance commerce”
15th–17th centuries
West African usage
Jula
“A trading population and associated commercial speech community”
19th century
French
Dioula
“Name for the language and its speakers”
Modern English
English
Diula
“A variant English spelling of Dioula”