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The [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] is a multilingual country where an estimated total of 242 languages are spoken. [[Ethnologue]] lists 215 living languages.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CD Languages of Democratic Republic of the Congo], ethnologue.com</ref> The [[official language]], inherited from [[Belgian Congo|the colonial period]], is [[French language|French]]. Four other languages, three of them indigenous, have the status of [[national language]]: [[Kikongo language|Kikongo]], [[Lingala language|Lingala]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]] and [[Luba-Kasai language|Tshiluba]].
The [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] is a multilingual country where an estimated total of 242 languages are spoken. [[Ethnologue]] lists 215 living languages.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=CD Languages of Democratic Republic of the Congo], ethnologue.com</ref> The [[official language]], inherited from [[Belgian Congo|the colonial period]], is [[French language|French]]. Four other languages, three of them indigenous, have the status of [[national language]]: [[Kikongo language|Kikongo]], [[Lingala language|Lingala]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]] and [[Luba-Kasai language|Tshiluba]].

51% of the total population speaks French<ref>[https://www.francophonie.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/LFDM-20Edition-2019-La-langue-fran%C3%A7aise-dans-le-monde.pdf La langue française dans le monde], [[Éditions Gallimard]], [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]</ref> and 74% are using French as a [[lingua franca]]<ref name="lingala" />.


When the country was a Belgian colony, it had already instituted teaching and use of the four national languages in primary schools, making it one of the few African nations to have had literacy in local languages during the European colonial period. French remains the official language in the Congolese government and is spoken by half of the population.
When the country was a Belgian colony, it had already instituted teaching and use of the four national languages in primary schools, making it one of the few African nations to have had literacy in local languages during the European colonial period. French remains the official language in the Congolese government and is spoken by half of the population.
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== French ==
== French ==
{{see also|African French}}
{{see also|African French}}
[[File:Connaisance du français en RDC (2005).PNG|thumb|right|400px|Knowledge of French language in the DRC in 2005 according to the OIF.]]
[[File:UN Day 2011 Banner (6311961650).jpg|thumb|Banner in French in [[Kinshasa]]]]
[[File:UN Day 2011 Banner (6311961650).jpg|thumb|Banner in French in [[Kinshasa]]]]
[[French language|French]] is the official language of the country since its colonial period under [[Belgian colonial empire|Belgian]] rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with [[Belgian French]]. French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken in the capital of the country-Kinshasa, it belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the [[Francophonie]], which includes many African countries. According to a 2018 [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]] report, 42.5 million Congolese people (50.6% of the population) can read and write in French.<ref>[https://www.francophonie.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/LFDM-20Edition-2019-La-langue-fran%C3%A7aise-dans-le-monde.pdf Langue française dans le monde 2015-2018], [[Éditions Gallimard]].</ref><ref>{{cite book
[[French language|French]] is the official language of the country since its colonial period under [[Belgian colonial empire|Belgian]] rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with [[Belgian French]]. French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken in the capital of the country-Kinshasa, it belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the [[Francophonie]], which includes many African countries. According to a 2018 [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]] report, 42.5 million Congolese people (50.6% of the population) can read and write in French.<ref>[https://www.francophonie.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/LFDM-20Edition-2019-La-langue-fran%C3%A7aise-dans-le-monde.pdf Langue française dans le monde 2015-2018], [[Éditions Gallimard]].</ref><ref>{{cite book
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}}</ref> The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently has the largest population of any country with French as its official language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-15 |title=The Countries That Speak the Most French (Besides France) |url=https://frenchly.us/the-countries-outside-of-france-that-speak-the-most-french/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Frenchly |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}</ref> The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently has the largest population of any country with French as its official language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-15 |title=The Countries That Speak the Most French (Besides France) |url=https://frenchly.us/the-countries-outside-of-france-that-speak-the-most-french/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Frenchly |language=en-US}}</ref>


According to a 2021 survey, French was the most spoken language in the country: a total of 74% of Congolese (79% of men, and 68% of women) reported using French as a language of communication.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.target-sarl.cd/en/content/target-survey-french-most-spoken-language-drc-far-ahead-lingala | title=Target Survey: French, the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala | date=10 July 2021 }}</ref>
According to a 2021 survey, French was the most spoken language in the country: a total of 74% of Congolese (79% of men, and 68% of women) reported using French as a language of communication.<ref name="lingala">{{cite web | url=https://www.target-sarl.cd/en/content/target-survey-french-most-spoken-language-drc-far-ahead-lingala | title=Target Survey: French, the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala | date=10 July 2021 }}</ref>


== Kikongo ya leta ==
== Kikongo ya leta ==

Revision as of 12:11, 7 September 2022

Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Map showing the distribution of the four national languages in the Congo
OfficialFrench
NationalKikongo, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba
IndigenousMore than 200
SignedAmerican Sign Language (Francophone African Sign Language)
Keyboard layout
French AZERTY
Lingua francaFrench, Kikongo ya leta, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a multilingual country where an estimated total of 242 languages are spoken. Ethnologue lists 215 living languages.[1] The official language, inherited from the colonial period, is French. Four other languages, three of them indigenous, have the status of national language: Kikongo, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba.

51% of the total population speaks French[2] and 74% are using French as a lingua franca[3].

When the country was a Belgian colony, it had already instituted teaching and use of the four national languages in primary schools, making it one of the few African nations to have had literacy in local languages during the European colonial period. French remains the official language in the Congolese government and is spoken by half of the population.

French

See also: African French
Banner in French in Kinshasa

French is the official language of the country since its colonial period under Belgian rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with Belgian French. French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken in the capital of the country-Kinshasa, it belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the Francophonie, which includes many African countries. According to a 2018 OIF report, 42.5 million Congolese people (50.6% of the population) can read and write in French.[4][5] In the capital city Kinshasa, 67% of the population can read and write French, and 68.5% can speak and understand it.[6] The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently has the largest population of any country with French as its official language.[7]

According to a 2021 survey, French was the most spoken language in the country: a total of 74% of Congolese (79% of men, and 68% of women) reported using French as a language of communication.[3]

Kikongo ya leta

The constitution says Kikongo is one of the national languages, but in fact it is a Kikongo-based creole, Kituba (Kikongo ya Leta "Kikongo of the government", Leta being derived from French l'État "the State") that is used in the constitution and by the administration in the provinces of Bas-Congo (which is inhabited by the Bakongo), Kwango, and Kwilu. Kituba has become a vernacular language in many urban centres including Kikwit, Bandundu, Matadi, Boma and Muanda.[8][9][10][11]

Lingala

Lingala is a language which gained its modern form in the colonial period, with the push of missionaries to standardize and teach a local lingua franca. It was originally spoken in the upper Congo river area but rapidly spread to the middle Congo area and eventually became the major Bantu language in Kinshasa.

Lingala was made the official language of the army under Mobutu, but since the rebellions, the army has also used Swahili in the east. With the transition period and the consolidation of different armed groups into the Congolese Army, the linguistic policy has returned to its previous form and Lingala is again the official language of the Army.

A 2021 survey found that Lingala was the second-most spoken language in the country, used by 59% of the population (62% of men and 56% of women).[12]

Swahili

Swahili is the most widespread lingua franca spoken in Eastern Equatorial Africa. Many variations of Swahili are spoken in the country but the major one is Kingwana, sometimes called Copperbelt Swahili, especially in the Katanga area.

Tshiluba

The constitution does not specify which of the two major variations of Tshiluba is the national language. Luba-Kasai is spoken in the East Kasai Region (Luba people) and Luba-Lulua is used in the West Kasai Region among the Bena Lulua people. Luba-Kasai seems to be the language used by the administration. A related language, known as Luba-Katanga, is spoken in Katanga Province.

Sign languages

There are 12 deaf institutions in the country, and most teach French Sign Language or variations.[citation needed] American Sign Language is also practiced in the country.

Other languages

The most notable other languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are Mashi, Mongo, Lunda, Kilega, Tetela, Chokwe, Budza, Ngbandi, Lendu, Mangbetu, Yombe, Nande, Ngbaka, Zande, Lugbara and Komo. Considerable numbers of people in eastern Congo who came from Rwanda in either pre-colonial or recent times speak Kinyarwanda.

As of 2010 the government decided to include Portuguese as an optional language at schools as a response to Brazil's increasing influence on the continent, and of the growing and considerable Angolan and Mozambican immigrant communities.[13]

Among the various forms of slang spoken in the Congo, Indubil has been noted since around the 1960s[14] and continues to evolve today.[15]

References

  1. ^ Languages of Democratic Republic of the Congo, ethnologue.com
  2. ^ La langue française dans le monde, Éditions Gallimard, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
  3. ^ a b "Target Survey: French, the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala". 10 July 2021.
  4. ^ Langue française dans le monde 2015-2018, Éditions Gallimard.
  5. ^ Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (2014). La langue française dans le monde 2014. Paris: Éditions Nathan. p. 17. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  6. ^ Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (2014). La langue française dans le monde 2014. Paris: Éditions Nathan. p. 30. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  7. ^ "The Countries That Speak the Most French (Besides France)". Frenchly. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  8. ^ Salikoko S. Mufwene, Kituba, Kileta, or Kikongo? What's in a name?, University of Chicago, Dans: Le nom des langues III. Le nom des langues en Afrique sub-saharienne : pratiques dénominations, catégorisations. Naming Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa: Practices, Names, Categorisations (sous la direction de C. de Féral), Louvain-la-Neuve, Peeters, BCILL 124, 2009, p. 211-222
  9. ^ Foreign Service Institute (U.S.) and Lloyd Balderston Swift, Kituba; Basic Course, Department of State, 1963, p. 10
  10. ^ "Kikongo-Kituba". Britannica. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. ^ Jean-Claude Bruneau (2011). "Les nouvelles provinces de la République Démocratique du Congo : construction territoriale et ethnicités". L'Espace Politique (in French) (7). doi:10.4000/espacepolitique.1296.
  12. ^ "Target Survey: French, the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala". 10 July 2021.
  13. ^ TSF. (July 4th). Português adoptado como língua opcional nas escolas da RD Congo, accessed on July 4, 2010
  14. ^ "Ghetto Blaster : Et la rumba congolaise rythma les indépendances". Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  15. ^ Georges Mulumbwa Mutambwa. "The spread of Indubil through DR Congo: context and modalities". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.

External links

Further reading

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