Layers of Lexical Borrowing in Long-Term Contact Rooted among Ancient Crops from Mali’s Bandiagara Region

Abstract

In this research, the People and Plants method illuminates language interactions in Eastern Mali’s Bandiagara Region. Home to six linguistic groups, the Bandiagara Escarpment has sheltered two populations for at least 800 years, though their pre-cliff origins are unclear. Historical empires might have driven them to this defensible terrain, with fertile lands anchoring them. Notably, evidence points to early pearl millet domestication not far from here, a Sahelian staple, around 5,000 years ago. Examining current plant-related lexemes across local languages and contrasting with distant, unrelated languages offers insights into older forms. Merging these findings with external data depicts language contact layers. Modern Bandiagara residents, likely with pre-existing botanical knowledge, may have been influenced by the ‘Mande Expansion’ and its vast West African trade routes.