Lega language

Lega is a Bantu language, or dialect cluster, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are two major varieties, Shabunda Lega and Mwenga Lega; Mwenga Lega, with about 10% of speakers, finds Shabunda difficult to understand. Kanu has been assigned a separate ISO code but is a dialect of Shabunda, and no more divergent than other dialects.

Lega
Native toDR Congo
EthnicityLega
Native speakers
(450,000 cited 1982–2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
lea – Shabunda Lega
lgm – Mwenga Lega
khx – Kanu
ktf – Kwami
Glottologlega1253
D.25,251[2]
ELPKanu

Variant spellings of 'Lega' are Rega, Leka, Ileka, Kilega, Kirega. Shabunda is also known as Igonzabale, and Mwenga as Shile or Ishile. Gengele is reported to be a Shabunda-based creole.

According to Ethnologue, Bembe is part of the same dialect continuum. Nyindu is a dialect of Shi that has been heavily influenced by Lega.

Phonology

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Mid e o
Open a

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b d (ɟ) g
Fricative voiceless (f) s ʃ
voiced v z
Trill r
Lateral l
Approximant j w
  • [ɟ] can also be heard in the consonant sequence /ɡj/.[3]
  • /f/ can be heard from loanwords.[4]

References
  1. Shabunda Lega at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Mwenga Lega at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Kanu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Kwami at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. Botne, Robert (2003). Lega (Beya Dialect) (D25). In Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard (eds.), The Bantu Languages: London & New York: Routledge. pp. 422–449.
  4. Masumbuko Wa-Busungu, Léopold (2019). Grammaire du kilega-lega: D25 : esquisse d'une langue bantoue de la RD Congo. Édilivre, 2019.


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