Bozo.

About Bozo

Bozo is a Mande language spoken by the Bozo people of the Inner Niger Delta in Mali. For the purpose of fishing, many Bozo also live in other West African countries where there are rivers and dams, such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. According to the 2000 census, the Bozo people number about 132,100. Bozo is considered a dialect cluster, but there is a quite a bit of diversity. Ethnologue recognises four languages on the basis of requirements for literacy materials. Bozo is part of the northwestern branch of the Mande languages; the closest linguistic relative is Soninke, a major language spoken in the northwestern section of southern Mali, in eastern Senegal, and in southern Mauritania. The Bozo often speak one or more regional languages such as Bambara, Fula, or Western Songhay. The language is tonal, with three lexical tones.