Malinke
/məˈlɪŋkeɪ/noun
A member of a Mande-speaking West African people, or the language traditionally spoken by them.
Did you know?Malinke is an English form of French Malinké, while the community’s own related names include Maninka and Mandinka; these labels reflect centuries of European reshaping of African ethnonyms.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval period
Mande languages
Mandenka
“An ethnonym traditionally interpreted as referring to a person of Manden, the historic Mande heartland.”
Medieval–Early Modern period
Mande languages
Maninka
“A major Mande ethnonym and the name of a closely related language variety.”
16th–18th Century
Portuguese and other European records
Mandinga
“A European-recorded form referring to Mande-speaking peoples and, in some contexts, their language.”
19th Century
French
Malinké
“French form of the ethnonym for the Malinke people and their language.”
Modern English
English
Malinke
“An English spelling for the people, language, or related cultural identity; Malinké and Maninka are also used.”