First steps towards the detection of contact layers in Bangime: a multi-disciplinary, computer-assisted approach

A novel, computer-assisted approach reveals that the Bangime language, spoken by the genetically isolated Bangande people of Mali's Bandiagara Escarpment, exhibits extensive lexical borrowing from neighboring Atlantic, Dogon, Mande, and Songhai languages. This suggests historical contact despite genetic divergence from surrounding groups. The study proposes that the Bangande were part of the expansive Mali Empire (13th–16th centuries), offering a multidisciplinary framework to trace language contact layers using automated lexical comparisons refined through qualitative analysis.

Hantgan, A., Babiker, H., & List, J.-M. (2022). First steps towards the detection of contact layers in Bangime: a multi-disciplinary, computer-assisted approach. Open Research Europe, 2, 10. https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.14339.1