Kituba language
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Kituba ( mkw, Kituba, ktu, Kikongo ya leta) is a widely used
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
in
Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...
. It is a
creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language. ...
based on
Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
, a
Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The t ...
. It is a national language in
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
.


Names

Kituba is known by many names among its speakers. In academic circles the language is called ''Kituba'' or ''Kikongo-Kituba''. In the
Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
it is called ''Munukutuba'' or ''Kituba''. The former (also spelled ''Monokutuba'') is a phrase which means literally "I say", and is used in the Republic's 1992 constitution. The latter means "way of speaking" and is used in the 2015 constitution. In the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
it is called ''Kikongo ya leta'' ("the state's Kikongo" or "Government Kikongo"), or Kikongo de L'état, shortened to ''Kileta''. Confusingly, it is also called ''Kikongo'', especially in areas that lack Kongo (Kikongo) speakers. The constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo lists "Kikongo" as one of the national languages, meaning Kituba. There are also other historical names such as ''Kibula-matadi'' (literally "the stone-breaker's speech"), ''Ikeleve'' (literally "be not", "it isn't so"), ''Kikwango'', and ''Kizabave'' (literally "do not know"), but they have largely fallen out of use.


Geographic distribution

The majority of Kituba speakers live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is spoken as the primary lingua franca in the provinces of
Kongo Central Kongo Central ( kg, Kongo dia Kati ), formerly Bas-Congo is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its capital is Matadi. History At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the g ...
,
Kwango Kwango is a province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It's one of the 21 provinces created in the 2015 repartitioning. Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai-Ndombe provinces are the result of the dismemberment of the former Bandundu province. Kwa ...
and Kwilu and to a lesser extent in
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
, Mai-Ndombe and Kasai. Kituba is spoken in the southern of the Republic of Congo, in regions of Kouilou, Pointe-Noire,
Niari Niari, also known as "Radhi", is a caste in Odisha know for their traditional work "Chudakuta" (making flattened rice) and "Muudikuta" (making puffed rice). They're subcaste of Kshatriya.They are belong to general caste. History In history a ...
,
Bouenza Bouenza (can also be written as ''Buenza'') is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southern part of the country. It borders the departments of Lékoumou, Niari, and Pool, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. T ...
, Lékoumou and in the capital
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
.
Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...
is more popular in the north. The status of Kituba in Angola is not known. It is probable that it is understood and spoken by Bakongo who have lived in the Republic of Congo or the Democratic Republic of Congo as refugees or otherwise.


Official status

Kituba is a national language in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In practice the term ''national language'' means that it is a language of regional administration and elementary education. A national language is also one that is used for public and mass communication. National public radios and televisions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Republic of Congo use Kituba as one of their main languages for evening news.


History

There are several theories on how Kituba came into being. One theory claims that it had already evolved at the time of the
Kongo Kingdom The Kingdom of Kongo ( kg, Kongo dya Ntotila or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' pt, Reino do Congo) was a kingdom located in central Africa in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the ...
as a simplified interdialectal trade language, which the European colonists subsequently took into use for regional administration. Another theory claims that a simplified trade language called Kifyoti was developed at the Portuguese coastal trading 18 post and it was later spread upstream by the Christian missionaries to the region between the Kwango and the Kasai rivers where it evolved further (hence the name Kikwango). Yet another theory emphasizes the construction of the
Matadi Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...
-
Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
railroad at the end of the 1800s, which involved forced labour from
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
, lower Congo, and the neighbouring Bandundu region. The workers had diverse linguistic backgrounds which gave birth to a grammatically simplified language. Regardless of the genesis, Kituba established itself in the large towns that were found during the colonial period between 1885 and 1960. Kituba is spoken as the primary language in the large Bakongo cities of
Moanda Moanda is one of the largest towns in Gabon, lying on the N3 road in Haut Ogooué. It is also one of the most important manganese mining towns in the world, under the auspices of the ''Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué'' (COMILOG), which began ...
, Boma,
Matadi Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...
, Pointe-Noire,
Dolisie Dolisie, known as Loubomo (or Lubomo) between 1975 and 1991, is a city in the western province of Niari in the Republic of the Congo. It is the country's third largest city and an important commercial centre. The city lies on the eastern edge of t ...
, Nkayi, and
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
and also in large non-Bakongo cities of Bandundu,
Kikwit Kikwit is the largest city of Kwilu Province, lying on the Kwilu River in the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kikwit is also known in the region under the nickname "The Mother". The population is approximately 458,000 ( ...
, and
Ilebo Ilebo, formerly known as Port-Francqui, is a town in Kasai province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, lying at the highest navigable point of the Kasaï River. It is an important transport hub for ferries to Kinshasa and trains to Lubumbashi. ...
. A translation of the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
in Kituba was completed and published in 2005. The
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nati ...
has published a translation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kituba.


Differences between

Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
and Kituba

Some examples of differences between
Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
(Kisikongo, Kizombo, Kisolongo, Iwoyo, Kiyombe, Kisingombe, Kintandu, Kimanianga, Kindibu, Civili, Tsiladi (Lari), etc.) and Kituba (or Kikongo ya leta, Munukutuba, Monokutuba): ''1. Conjugation'' : In
Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
(Kisikongo, Kizombo, Kisolongo, Iwoyo, Kiyombe, Kisingombe, Kintandu, Kimanianga, Kindibu, Civili, Tsiladi (Lari), etc.), the conjugation of a tense to different persons is done by changing verbal prefixes contrary to kituba (or kikongo ya leta, monokutuba, munukutuba) (see below). ''Example : verb To Be conjugated in the present in Kikongo (Vili and Ibinda) and Kituba'' : ''2. Negative form'' ''3. The way to say I love you is different'' : ''4. Noun classes'' : noun prefixes are not completely the same (cf. the
Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
and Kituba grammars)


Phonology


Vowels

Kituba has five vowel phonemes: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. They are very similar to the vowels of
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
. Vowels are never reduced, regardless of stress. The vowels are pronounced as follows: * /a/ is pronounced like the "a" in father * /e/ is pronounced like the "e" in bed * /i/ is pronounced like the "i" in ski or ring * /o/ is pronounced like the first part of the "o" in home, or like a tenser version of "o" in "lot" * /u/ is pronounced like the "oo" of fool


Consonants

Notes: * Word-initial voiceless prenasalized consonants are reduced to simple consonants in some dialects: ''mpimpa'' and ''nkento'' become ''pimpa'' and ''kento'' in Kituba of Pointe-Noire. * Some dialects add stop to prenasalized alveolar fricatives: ''Kinsasa'' and ''nzila'' become ''Kintsasa'' and ''ndzila''. * Alveolar fricatives may become postalveolar ( or ) before /i/.


Grammar


Pronouns

Kituba has subject and object pronouns. The object pronouns are used in place of subject pronouns when the subject is being emphasized.


Nouns

Kituba has kept by and large the noun classes of ethnic Kikongo with some modifications. The classes 9 and 11 have in effect merged with the singular class with zero prefix, and their plural is formed with generic plural class prefix ''ba-''.


Verbs

Kituba has a well-developed verbal system involving
grammatical tense In grammar, tense is a grammatical category, category that expresses time reference. Tenses are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, particularly in their grammatical conjugation, conjugation patterns. The main tenses foun ...
and
aspect Aspect or Aspects may refer to: Entertainment * ''Aspect magazine'', a biannual DVD magazine showcasing new media art * Aspect Co., a Japanese video game company * Aspects (band), a hip hop group from Bristol, England * ''Aspects'' (Benny Carter ...
. Most verb forms have long and short versions. The long forms are used in formal written communication whereas the short forms have developed for spoken communication. The irregular conjugation of the verb ''kuvanda'' or ''kuvuanda'' (to be) is presented in the table below. It is the only irregular verb in Kituba. All other verbs are conjugated with the help of auxiliary verbs. The conjugation of the verb ''kusala'' (to do) is presented in the table below.


Voice

The suffix indicating
voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...
is adding after the verb root and before the suffix indicating tense. The most common forms are "ila", indicating action to or toward someone, and "ana", indicating mutual or reciprocal action: Kutanga "to read", Tangila "read to", Tangilaka "read to" (past) Sadisa "to help", Sadisana "help one another", Sadisanaka "helped one another (past)


Dictionary

A Kituba-English-French dictionary compiled by linguist Harold W. Fehderau, Ph.D., was published in 1969. It is not widely available.


Lexicon

The bulk of Kituba words come from
Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
. Other Bantu languages have influenced it as well, including Kiyaka, Kimbala,
Kisongo Kisongo is an administrative ward and small town in the Arusha Rural District of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. According to the 2012 census, the ward has a total population of 8,769. It is located in the outskirts of Arusha, about 7 km w ...
, Kiyansi,
Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...
, and Swahili. In addition, many words have been borrowed from French,
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
, and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
. These include: * sandúku (Swah. sanduku) "box", the Swahili word comes from Arabic صندوق (ṣandūq) * matáta (Swah. matata) "trouble" * letá (Fr. ''l'état'') "state" * kamiyó (Fr. ''camion'') "truck" * sodá/solodá (Fr. ''soldat'') "soldier" * masínu (Fr. ''machine'') "machine" * mísa (Port. ''missa'') "mass" * kilápi (Port. ''lápis'') "pen" * katekisimu (Eng. ''catechism'') * bóyi (Eng. ''houseboy'') * sapatu (Port. ''sapato'') "shoe" * mesa (Port. ''mesa'') "table" * dikopa (Port. ''copa'') "cup" * simisi (Fr. ''chemise'') "shirt"


Sample text

Article 1 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...
translates to: :''Bantu nyonso, na mbutukulu kevwandaka na kimpwanza ya bawu, ngenda mpe baluve ya mutindu mosi. Mayela na mbanzulu ke na bawu, ni yawu yina bafwana kusalasana na bumpangi.'' :"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."


Literature

In 2018, a book (Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: Mbandu ya luzingu by Protais Yumbi) written in Kikongo ya Leta was nominated for the
Grand Prix of Literary Associations The Grand Prix of Literary Associations (GPLA) were launched in 2013 in Cameroon, in partnership with Brasseries du Cameroun and sponsorship by Castel Group, Castel Beer. The GPLA are defined as bilingual English-and-French literary prizes, som ...
.Source
/ref>


See also

*
Habla Congo or is a Kongo-based liturgical language of the Palo religion with origins in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, later spreading to other countries in the Caribbean Basin. The language may be called or but is generally referred to simp ...
, in Cuba


References


Bibliography

* Diener, Ingolf; Maillart, Diana.(1970).Petit vocabulaire Francais-Anglais-Munukutuba. Pointe-Noire. * Jean-Alexis Mfoutou, ''Parlons munukutuba : Congo-Brazzaville, République démocratique du Congo, Angola,'' Paris, Editions L'Harmattan, 2019, 426 pages. * Jean-Alexis Mfoutou, ''Pour une histoire du munukutuba, langue bantoue,'' Paris, Editions L'Harmattan, 2019, 130 pages. * Jean-Alexis Mfoutou, ''Grammaire et lexique munukutuba : Congo-Brazzaville, République Démocratique du Congo, Angola,'' L'Harmattan, 2009, 344 p. (ISBN 2296226736 et 9782296226739, présentation en ligne, lire en ligne). * Khabirov, Valeri.(1990). Monokutuba. Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary. Moscow. "Soviet Encyclopedia". P. 309-310 (In Russian) * Fehderau, H., 1966. ''The Origin and Development of Kituba''. PhD dissertation, Cornell University.


External links


Weblink

Learn Kituba (Kikongo ya leta) on Learn101

Learn Kituba (Kikongo ya leta) on ilanguages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kituba Language Languages of the Republic of the Congo Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Bantu-based pidgins and creoles Kongo language