Lese language
| Lese | |
|---|---|
| Efé | |
| Native to | Congo-Kinshasa |
| Region | Ituri forest |
Native speakers | (70,000 cited 1991)[1] |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:les – Leseefe – Efe |
| Glottolog | lese1243 Leseefee1239 Efe |
Lese is a Central Sudanic language of northeastern Congo-Kinshasa, as well as a name for the people who speak this language. The Lese people, live in association with the Efé Pygmies and share their language, which is occasionally known as Lissi or Efe.
Although Efe is given a separate ISO code, Bahuchet (2006) notes that it is not even a distinct dialect, though there is dialectical variation in the language of the Lese (Dese, Karo).
Lese is spoken in Mambasa Territory, Watsa Territory, and Irumu Territory.[2]
References
- ^ Lese at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Efe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) - ^ Bokula, Moiso & Agozia-Kario Irumu. 1994. Bibliographie et matériaux lexicaux des langues Moru-Mangbetu (Soudan-Central, Zaïre). Annales Aequatoria 10: 203‒245.
- Bahuchet, Serge. 2006. "Languages of the African Rainforest « Pygmy » Hunter-Gatherers: Language Shifts without Cultural Admixture."[1] In Historical linguistics and hunter-gatherers populations in global perspective. Leipzig.