Jula
/ˈdʒuː.lə/noun
A Mande language spoken chiefly in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, also known as Dyula or Dioula.
Did you know?Jula is closely associated with long-distance commerce in West Africa, and the alternative name Dyula comes from a Mande word meaning “merchant” or “trader.”
Etymological Timeline
Medieval West Africa
Mande
dyula
“Merchant or trader; the term became associated with Mande-speaking commercial communities.”
15th–18th Centuries
Mande
Jula / Dyula
“A Mande language and the speech of trading communities active across the western Sudan.”
19th Century
French
Dioula
“French colonial-era spelling used for the language and its speakers.”
20th Century
English
Jula
“English form used for the language, especially in linguistic and African-studies writing.”
Modern English
English
Jula
“A recognized name for the Mande language also called Dyula or Dioula.”