Le système de dénomination Balant

Abstract

This paper addresses personal names among the Balant, a community shared between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. It investigates giving names as an important aspect in Balant society. These names are not mere arbitrary labels. They have socio-cultural functions that depend on various contexts and include family names, honorific names, and birth names (toponyms, temporonyms, survival names, epical names, portrayal names).