Editing Mandinka language (section)

{{short description|Mande language}}
{{Distinguish|Dinka language|Maninka language}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Mandinka
| altname          = Mandingo
| states           = Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau
| region           = [[Casamance]], [[The Gambia]], [[Senegal]]
| ethnicity        = [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|2.114|2}} million
| date             = 2017–2022
| ref              = e26
| familycolor      = Niger-Congo
| fam1             = [[Niger–Congo languages|Niger–Congo]]?
| fam2             = [[Mande languages|Mande]]
| fam3             = [[Mande languages|West Mande]]
| fam4             = [[Mande languages|Central-West]]
| fam5             = [[Mande languages|Central Mande]]
| fam6             = [[Manding languages|Manding-Jogo]]
| fam7            = [[Manding languages|Manding-Vai]]
| fam8             = [[Manding languages|Manding-Mokole]]
| fam9             = [[Manding languages|Manding]]
| fam10            = [[Manding languages|West Manding]]
| minority         = {{flag|Senegal}}
| iso3             = mnk
| glotto           = mand1436
| lingua           = 00-AAA-aa
| glottorefname    = Mandinka
| notice           = IPA
| script           = [[Arabic script|Arabic]], [[Latin alphabet|Latin]], [[N'Ko script|N'Ko]], [[Garay alphabet|Garay]]
| nativename       = {{lang|mnk|Mandinka kaŋo}} {{lang|mnk|مَانْدِينْكَا كَانْجَوْ}}<br/>{{lang|mnk|Mandingo}} {{lang|mnk-Arab|مَانْدِنْجَوْ}} {{lang|mnk-Nkoo|ߡߊ߲߬ߘߌ߲߬ߞߊ}}
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|mnk|ma.ⁿdi.ᵑka ka.ŋo|}}
}}

[[File:WIKITONGUES- Omar speaking Mandinka.webm|thumb|A Mandinka speaker, recorded in [[Taiwan]].]]

The '''Mandinka language''' ({{Transliteration|mnk|Mandinka kaŋo}}; [[Ajami script|Ajami]]: {{lang|mnk-Arab|مَانْدِينْكَا كَانْجَوْ}}), or '''Mandingo''', is a [[Mande languages|Mande language]] spoken by the [[Mandinka people]] of northern Guinea-Bissau, the [[Casamance]] region of Senegal, and The Gambia where it is one of the principal languages.

Mandinka belongs to the [[Manding languages|Manding]] branch of Mande and is similar to [[Bambara language|Bambara]] and [[Maninka language|Maninka/Malinké]] but with only 5 instead of 7 vowels, due to lacking the [[Advanced tongue root|ATR]] distinction.  
The varieties spoken in Urban Gambia and Senegal borders on a [[pitch accent]] due to its proximity with non-tonal neighboring languages like [[Wolof language|Wolof]].