174 km away
An English-based creole and the lingua franca of Sierra Leone, used by virtually the entire population. Descended from the speech of liberated Africans resettled in Freetown in the 19th century.
Mende
A Mande Niger-Congo language and the largest indigenous language of Sierra Leone. Notable for the Kikakui syllabary, an indigenous 19th-century writing system.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Mende?
Mende is a dialect of the Mende language.
Where is Mende spoken?
Mende is primarily spoken in Sierra Leone.
Which region is Mende associated with?
Mende is part of the West & Central Africa region on DialectAtlas.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →275 km away
A Mande Niger-Congo language and the main lingua franca of coastal Guinea, including the capital Conakry. Around 1.5 million first-language speakers.
378 km away
An Atlantic Niger-Congo language spoken by Fulani (Peul) communities across the Sahel from Senegal to Sudan. One of the most geographically spread African languages, with 25-30 million speakers.
380 km away
A Manding Niger-Congo language of Upper Guinea and adjacent Mali. The historical language of the Mali Empire and the closest living relative of the Mandinka of Senegambia.
663 km away
The largest Mande Niger-Congo language and the lingua franca of Mali. Closely related to Dyula and Maninka in a wider Manding dialect continuum across West Africa.
686 km away
A Manding Niger-Congo language used as a trade lingua franca across northern Côte d'Ivoire, western Burkina Faso, and adjoining areas. Closely related to Bambara and Maninka.