Yans (Yanzi) is a

Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...

spoken in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

by the

Bayanzi The Bayanzi (or Yan, Yanzi, Yansi people) are an ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who live in the southwest of the country and number about seven million. The Yanzi speak Kiyansi (or Eyans), a language in the Bantu language fa ...

. There are six language varieties Guthrie classified as Bantu B.85 (Yans): *B.85A Mbiem, West Yansi *B.85B East Yans *B.85C Yeei *B.85D Tsong (Itsong, Nsong, Ntsuo, "Songo") *B.85E Mpur (Mput) *B.85F Tsambaan According to Nurse (2003), most belong to the

Yaka languages The Yaka languages are a clade of Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southe ...

, but one or two are among the

Boma–Dzing languages The Boma–Dzing languages are a clade of Bantu languages coded Zone B.80 in Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), some of Guthrie's B.80 ( Tiene, Mfinu, Mpuono) are related to the Teke languages (B.70), and some Yan ...

. Maho (2009) notes that the Tsong variety is the then-unclassified "Songo" language (ISO oo of ''Ethnologue'' and is the one that does not belong with the rest. ''Glottolog'' likewise classifies "Nsong-Mpiin" ooapart from Yansi.

Phonology

Most of dialects have these sounds:

Consonants

Vowels

References

Maho (2009)
Boma-Dzing languages Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Yaka languages {{Bantu-lang-stub