Diaspora

Language / Langue Maninka-English
1

Hello,
Could someone help me translate the word “diaspora” to maninka and type it in N’ko?

I have looked all over but can’t find it.

Thanks in advance

2

Hi Mansa321! Can you please give some context to guide us (i.e., an example sentence)?

This is helpful in general, and definitely in this case since I don’t know of a typical/conventional one-to-one translation for diaspora.

3

Hi Coleman,
Thank you for your response. I just want the word describing the migration of a people from their ancestral homeland. I will not put it in a written text, I will put it in a graphic context.

Regards,
Lallo

4

Hi Lallo!

If you want a word for ‘the migration of a people from their ancestral homeland’, you could try something related to tunkan (cf. tunga/tungan in the AKT dictionary; and episode 7 of Na baro kè about the word/concept), which refers to both ‘foreign land(s)’ and ‘adventure’.

This word is at the root of expressions like tungaranke (which is often translated as ‘emigrant’, ‘migrant’ or sometimes ‘adventurer’ [cf. the dual meaning of tungan]).

As I said, in my experience, there isn’t currently a conventional one-to-one translation that lines up with “diaspora” in the sense that you describe. But you could potentially say something like:

tunkarankelu
ߕߎ߲ߞߊߙߊ߲ߒߞߋ ߟߎ߬

Lit. ‘migrants’ / ‘aventurers (seeking fortune away from home or abroad)’

Or:

tunkannamɔɔlu
ߕߎ߲ߞߊ߲ߠߊߡߐ߮ ߟߎ߬

Lit. ‘people in/on tunkan’

The tricky thing is that the term is often used for people who have themselves actually left their homeland and are abroad. I’m not sure that out of context someone would interpret it in Maninka (or Manding, in general) as referring to people who ancestrally are connected to a place, but did not grow up there and live (e.g., in the way we say, “the Guinean diaspora”, “the African diaspora”, etc., with it referring to people who might be one or multiple generations removed from Guinea or Africa, have never been there, etc).

But meanings are always growing, shifting or being stretched! Hope that helps :slight_smile:

PS - I checked Kantè’s French-N’ko dictionary, Jaanɛ’s French-N’ko dictionary, Bailleul’s French-Bambara dictionary and some older lexicons and none of them included an entry for “diaspora”.

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5

Thanks,
Wow amazing, Thank you.
This is exactly what I was looking for!:pray:t4::pray:t4::pray:t4:

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