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 to | DR Congo |
Ethnicity | Lega |
Native speakers | (450,000 cited 1982–2000)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:lea – Shabunda Legalgm – Mwenga Legakhx – Kanuktf – Kwami |
Glottolog | lega1253 |
D.25,251 [2] | |
ELP | Kanu |
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.
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
Mid | e | o | |
Open | a |
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 |