Also known as Bambara, Bamanankan is the national language of Mali.  It is also spoken in surrounding countries, to a lesser degree.  Part of the language group Manding, Bamanankan is mutually intelligible to varying degrees with related languages spoken in surrounding countries (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissao, Liberia, and Ivory Coast).  Native speakers trace their inheritance to the Mali Empire.  Bamanankan uses many loan words from French; often, speakers use these as a form of code switching.