Manjak or Manjack (French: Manjak, Manjaque; Portuguese: Manjaco) or Njak is a Bak language of Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The language is also known as Kanyop.
In 2006, the total number of speakers was estimated at 315,300, including 184,000 in Guinea-Bissau, 105,000 in Senegal and 26,300 in The Gambia.
Dialects
The Manjak dialects below are distinct enough that some might be considered separate languages.
- Bok (Babok, Sarar, Teixeira Pinto, Tsaam)
- Likes-Utsia (Baraa, Kalkus)
- Cur (Churo)
- Lund
- Yu (Pecixe, Siis, Pulhilh)
- Unhate (Binhante, Bissau)
The Manjak dialects listed by Wilson (2007) are
- Canchungo (kancuŋuʔ) – central dialect
- Baboque (babɔk) (formerly Teixeira Pinto) – eastern dialect
- Churo (cuur) – northern dialect
- Pecixe (locally called pəhlihl; otherwise pəsiis), on an island to the south
- Calequisse (kaləkiis), to the west of Canchungo
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
(Alveolo-) palatal |
Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | ||||||
| Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | |||||
| voiced | ||||||
| prenasal vl. | ||||||
| prenasal vd. | ||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | () | ||||
| voiced | () | |||||
| Lateral | ||||||
| Approximant | ||||||
- Sounds are heard in free-fluctuation with affricates in all positions except following nasals.
- Sounds may also be lenited as when in intervocalic or word-final positions. can also be heard as a trill in free variation with when in word-final positions.
Vowels
Only vowels and may also have lengthened equivalents; and.
- Sounds may also range to more mid sounds in free variation.
- /ɐ/ may have a central allophone as [ʌ̈].
- Sounds may have some fluctuation with lengthened sounds.
Writing system
The official spelling system for Manjak established by the Senegalese government is regulated by Decree No. 2005-983 of 21 October 2005.
| A | B | C | D | E | Ë | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | Ñ | Ŋ | O | P | R | S | Ŝ | T | [illegible] | U | W | Y | Z |
| a | b | c | d | e | ë | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | ñ | ŋ | o | p | r | s | ŝ | t | [illegible] | u | w | y | z |
