Asoa, also known as ''Asua, Asuae, Asuati,'' or ''Aka,'' is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the

Mbuti The Mbuti people, or Bambuti, are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages are Central Sudanic languages and Bantu languages. Subgroups Bambuti are pygmy hunter-gatherers, and are one of the oldest ...

Pygmies known as the Asua. It is closely related to the Mangbetu language, and the Asua live in association with the

Mangbetu people The Mangbetu are a Central Sudanic ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, living in the northeastern province of Haut-Uele. Culture The Mangbetu are known for their highly developed art and music. One instrument associated with ...

, among others. It is the only distinctive Pygmy language in the east. Asua is spoken in the forests to the north of the

Aruwimi River The Aruwimi River (, ) is a tributary of the Congo River, located to the north and east of the Congo.Stanley, H.M., 1899, Through the Dark Continent, London: G. Newnes, Vol. One , Vol. Two The Aruwimi begins as the Ituri River, which rises near ...

, between the Nepoko River and the headwaters of the

Rubi River The Rubi River () is a left tributary of the Itimbiri River, which forms where the Rubi joins the Likati River. Course The Rubi River originates in the southeast of the Bas-Uélé province, then flows west until it meets the Likati near Djamba. Th ...

.Demolin, Didier. 1992. ''Le Mangbetu: etude phonétique et phonologique'', 2 vols. Brussels: Faculté de Philosophie et Lettres, Université libre de Bruxelles dissertation.

References

Central Sudanic languages African Pygmies Pygmy languages Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo {{Africa-ethno-group-stub