Kikongo

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Kikongo
kikóóngó

Spoken in

Democratic Republic of the Congo , Republic of the Congo, and Angola
speaker 3 million
Linguistic
classification
Official status
Official language in Congo Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo (in the provinces of Kinshasa and Lower Congo) Republic of the Congo ( national language )
Congo RepublicRepublic of the Congo 
Recognized minority /
regional language in 		AngolaAngola Angola
Language codes
ISO 639 -1

kg

ISO 639 -2

con

ISO 639-3

con

Kikongo (also: Congo, in Kikongo kikóóngó ) is a Bantu language widespread in the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , in the Republic of the Congo , in Cabinda and in north-west Angola with around 3 million speakers, mostly Congo .

It is one of the national languages ​​of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is of particular importance in education, radio and the press in the west of the country. However, French is dominant in all areas. In the Republic of the Congo, the simplified form of the language, Kituba , is primarily used by half of the population.

Kituba and Kikongo ya léta

In Congo Munukutuba (or since the constitutional reform Kituba , also Munu Kutuba ) is the national language ( langue nationale ). This is a simplified form of Kikongo used as a commercial language, which is understood by the various dialect speakers of Kikongo and is also used beyond the actual distribution area of ​​Kikongo. In the Democratic Congo, Kikongo is the national language, but the simplified form of Kituba is also used in the administration, but there is called kikongo ya léta (kikongo for: Government Kikongo ).

history

Apart from the Semitic peoples of East Africa, writing began very early by African standards. The oldest written monuments date from the 16th century . The Italian Capuchin brother Bonaventura da Sardegna was the first to write a grammar for Kikongo during a missionary trip to the Kingdom of Congo around 1645. Shortly afterwards, Hyacinthus Brusciottus wrote another grammar:

  • Regulae quaedam pro difficillimi Congensium idiomatis faciliori captu ad grammaticae normam redactae . Rome: Typis Sacrae Congregationis de Propoganda Fide, 1659.

classification

Distribution of the Congo languages ​​Kikongo and Kituba.

Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages. Malcolm Guthrie classifies the Kikongo dialects in group H10 as follows:

  • H16 Kikongo
    • H16a middle Kikongo
    • H16b central Kikongo
    • H16c Yombe
    • H16d Fiote
    • H16d western Kikongo
    • H16e turn
    • H16f Lari
    • H16g eastern Kikongo
    • H16h southeastern Kikongo

The other languages ​​in group H10 are Bembe (H11), Vili (H12), Kunyi (H13), Ndingi (H14) and Mboka (H15). The classifications of Baston, Coupez and Man, called Tervuren 's classification, and that of the SIL are newer and more precise in distinguishing the languages ​​and dialects of the Guthrie group H10.

Sample words

Sample text : Ave Maria in Kikongo
word translation Standard pronunciation
ntoto earth
Zulu sky
maza water
tiya Fire
yakala / bakala Husband - husband
nkento woman
ku-dya eat
kunwa drink
-nene big
-fioti small
mpimpa night
lumbu Day

See also

Web links

Wikipedia on Kikongo
Wiktionary: Kikongo  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations