Bila
Forest Bira
Kango, Sua
Native toDemocratic Republic of the Congo
RegionIturi forest
EthnicityKango (Wochua?)
Native speakers
(40,000 cited 1993–1998)[1]
Dialects
  • Kango (1,000)
  • Sua (1,000)
  • Bombi-Ngbanja
  • Nyaku
  • Ibutu
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
bip – Bila
kzy – Kango–Sua
Glottologbila1255  Bila
kang1285  Kango
belu1239  Belueli
D.211,311,313[2]

Bila, or Forest Bira, is a Bantu language spoken in the Mambasa Territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is also spoken by the Mbuti Pygmies who live in that area. Pygmy groups to the west include the Kango and Sua (Batchua).[3] Other Mbuti speak Central Sudanic languages. The Kango and Sua speak distinct dialects (southern and northern), but not enough to impair mutual intelligibility with their farming Bila patrons.

Maho (2009) lists Ibutu (Mbuttu, D.313) as a distinct language.

Phonology

Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labio-
velar		 Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ
Plosive/
Affricate		 plain p t t͡ʃ k k͡p
prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ᶮd͡ʒ ᵑɡ ᵑᵐɡ͡b
implosive ɓ ɗ
Fricative ɸ s h
Lateral l
Semivowel j w

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

References

  1. ↑ Bila at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Kango–Sua at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. ↑ L'Apare est un ruisseau, affluent de l'Ituri en région des Bantous Babali. La route qui relie Bafwasende à Bomili traverse le village, où réside ce groupe de Pygmées devenus sédentaires. Dans la documentation de l'expédition de 1929 et de 1935, ils étaient désignés sous le nom de Basua [page] Babali aux Bango wa mugwase (ou Pygmées de forêt). Après l'expédition de 1949–50, l'auteur préfère substituer à ces deux appellations, données par les Babali, leurs propres noms : les Pygmées de forêt désignent ceux de village du nom de Balioli (=Belueli) (sing. Dioy) et vice-versa ceux-ci désignent les Pygmées de forêt du nom de Bango (sing. Mwango).
  • Serge BAHUCHET, 2006. "Languages of the African Rainforest « Pygmy » Hunter-Gatherers: Language Shifts without Cultural Admixture." In Historical linguistics and hunter-gatherers populations in global perspective. Leipzig.
  • Kutsch Lojenga, Constance. 2003. Bila (D32). In Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard (eds.), The Bantu languages, 450-474. London & New York: Routledge.



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