Editing Senufo languages (section)

{{Short description|Language family of West Africa}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox language family
|name=Senufo
|altname=Senoufo
|region=northern [[Ivory Coast]], southern [[Mali]], southwestern [[Burkina Faso]], western [[Ghana]]
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo]]
|glotto=senu1239
|glottorefname=Senufo
|child1=[[Suppire–Mamara languages|Suppire–Mamara]]
|child2=[[Karaboro languages|Karaboro]]
|child3=[[Senari languages|Senari]]
|child4=[[Kpalaga language|Kpalaga]] (Palaka)
|child5=[[Tagwana–Djimini languages|Tagwana–Djimini]]
|child6=[[Nafaanra language|Nafaanra]]
|map=Senufo languages.png
|mapcaption=Map of the Senufo language area showing the major groups and some neighbouring languages.
}}

The '''Senufo''' or '''Senufic languages''' ({{langx|fr|Senoufo}}) comprise around 15 languages spoken by the [[Senufo people|Senufo]] in the north of [[Ivory Coast]], the south of [[Mali]] and the southwest of [[Burkina Faso]]. An isolated language, [[Nafaanra language|Nafaanra]], is also spoken in the west of [[Ghana]]. The Senufo languages constitute their own branch of the [[Atlantic–Congo]] sub-family of the [[Niger–Congo languages]]. Anne Garber estimates the total number of [[Senufo people|Senufos]] at some 1.5 million; the [[Ethnologue]], based on various population estimates, counts 2.7 million.{{year needed|date=May 2018}}
 
The Senufo languages are bounded to the west by [[Mande languages]], to the south by [[Kwa languages]], and to the north and east by Central [[Gur languages]].

The Senufo languages are like the Gur languages in that they have a suffixal [[noun class]] system and that verbs are marked for aspect. Most Gur languages to the north of Senufo have a two tone [[downstep]] system, but the tonal system of the Senufo languages is mostly analysed as a three level tone system (High, Mid, Low).

The Senufo languages have been influenced by the neighbouring Mande languages in numerous ways. Many words have been borrowed from the Mande languages [[Bambara language|Bambara]] and [[Jula language|Jula]]. Carlson notes that "it is probable that several grammatical constructions are calques on the corresponding Bambara constructions".{{sfnp|Carlson|1994|p=2}} Like Mande languages, the Senufo languages have a [[subject–object–verb]] (SOV) [[constituent order]], rather than the [[subject–verb–object]] (SVO) order which is more common in Gur and in [[Niger–Congo languages|Niger–Congo]] as a whole.