The Lengue language, also called ''Molengue, Balengue, Molendji'', is a
Bantu language of southern
Equatorial Guinea, spoken by the
Lengue people between
Bata and the
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...
border near the coast. The speakers have come under increasing
Fang influence. The
Ethnologue describes it as a member of the B subgroup of Northwest Bantu, while Echegaray is more specific, saying that it is linguistically a member of the
Sheke group (B21 of
Guthrie's Bantu subclassification):
: "The Balengues – linguistically at least – are related to the Sheke group in general, and especially to Itemus and Nvikos." (p. 51)
Echegaray lists their main settlements as being located south of Bata between
Punta Nguba and the
Benito River
The Benito is a river in Equatorial Guinea. It is known locally as the Mbini River, and, at least as it flows in its westerly part through the Monte Alen National Park, as the Uoro River. The river rises in Gabon and crosses into Equatorial Guine ...
, as well as three before the
Ndote River, and a few further south or inland.
References
* Carlos González Echegaray. ''Estudios Guineos: Vol. II.'' Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas 1959.
* Igor Cusack. "Hispanic and Bantu Inheritance, Trauma, Dispersal and Return: Some Contributions to a Sense of National Identity in Equatorial Guinea". ''
Nations and Nationalism'', Volume 5 Issue 2 Page 207 - April 1999.
* Quilis, Antonio y Celia Casado-Fresnillo. 1995. ''La lengua española en Guinea Ecuatorial''. Madrid: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia.
External links
Equatorial Guinea: Culture and Environment
Kele languages
Languages of Equatorial Guinea
{{Bantu-lang-stub