Explaining Korandjé: How a sub-Saharan African language ended up in the North
What is it about?
How did the little oasis of Tabelbala in western Algeria end up speaking a language unlike anything within 1600 km? Why is Korandje, their language, so much like one spoken faraway in central Niger, and why does it seem to have Mauritanian elements? This article explores word origins, plant names, grave inscriptions, saints' lives, travellers' tales, and medieval economics to reach an unexpected answer: that Tabelbala was a planned settlement, founded some 800 years ago by groups based in the Sahel to allow copper mining and to make travel easier.
Why is it important?
This finding explains the existence and location of Korandje, and reconstructs an otherwise lost chapter of Saharan history. It suggests that medieval West Africans were actively involved in building the infrastructure for global trade, further north than might have been expected. At the same time, it provides an unusual perspective on historical linguistics: to understand language spread, sometimes you need to think in terms of economics, not Völkerwanderung.