Koongo

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A language of Democratic Republic of the Congo

ISO 639-3
kng
Alternate Names
Congo, Kikoongo, Kongo
Autonym
Kikongo
User Population

8,000,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo, all users. L1 users: 3,000,000 in Democratic Republic of the Congo (1982 UBS). L2 users: 5,000,000. Total users in all countries: 11,236,500 (as L1: 6,236,500; as L2: 5,000,000).

Location

Kinshasa province; Kongo Central province: Mbanza Manteke area; Fioti north of Boma, and scattered along Congo River from Brazzaville to its mouth.

Language Maps
Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, H, Kikongo (H.16)
Dialects

South Kongo, Cataract, Central Kongo (Manyanga, Mazinga), West Kongo (Fiote, Fioti), Bwende (Buende, Sonde), East Kongo (Ntandu, Santu), South East Kongo (Nkanu, Pende, Zoombo), Nzamba (Dzamba). Part of Kongo subgroup. Other languages of the Kongo group are sometimes regarded as dialects of Koongo (see entries for Beembe [beq], Doondo [dde], Kunyi [njx], Vili [vif], Munukutuba [mkw], and Kituba [ktu]). Fioti also spoken by Buende and Vili peoples. A member of macrolanguage Kongo [kon].

Typology

SVO (for Nzamba); 5 vowels.

Language Development

Taught in most primary and secondary schools through grade 2 and as subject thereafter in the southwest of the country. Radio. TV. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible: 1905–1962.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Koongo
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Kituba [ktu] is the language used in government even though the Constitution specifies Kikongo (Constitution (2006), Article 1(8)). Christian.

Also spoken in:

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