The Kongo languages are a clade of
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.
T ...
s, coded Zone H.10 in Guthrie's classification, that are spoken by the
Bakongo
The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.
They have liv ...
:
:
Beembe (Pangwa, Doondo, Kamba, Hangala),
Ndingi,
Kunyi,
Mboka,
Kongo,
Western Kongo,
Laari (Laadi),
Vili,
Yombe,
Suundi
Languages
''Glottolog'', based on Koen Bostoen (2018, 2019), classifies two dozen languages of the Kongo language cluster as follows:
*Kikongo language cluster
**Hungan-Samba:
Hungan,
Samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...
**Nuclear cluster
***Yaka-Suku:
Suku,
Yaka-Pelende-Lonzo
***"Kikongoic"
****
Beembe
****Kambakunyic Kikongo
*****Kamba-Kunyi:
Kaamba,
Kunyi
*****Kilaadic Kikongo
******Nuclear Northern Kikongo:
Doondo,
Laari,
Suundi
******Central-Southern Kikongo
*******Southeastern Kikongo
********
Eastern Kikongo
********Southern Kikongo:
Hungu-Pombo, Koongo-Kituba (Congo
Kituba
''Kituba'' is a small genus of central African ground spiders. It was first described by B. V. B. Rodrigues and C. A. Rheims in 2020, and it has only been found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. it contains only two species: '' K. langala ...
, DRC
Kituba, South-Central
Koongo)
*******West Kikongo
********
San Salvador Kongo
********
Yombe
********Vilic
*********
Vili
*********Lumbuic
**********
Lumbu,
Bwisi
**********
Ngubi;
Punu -
Vumbu (Vungu),
Sangu
Sangu may refer to:
* Sangu language (Gabon)
* Sangu language (Tanzania)
* Sanghu, Taplejung, Nepal
* Sangu River
The Sangu River is a river in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Its source is in the North Arakan Hills of Myanmar, located at 21°13´N 92� ...
-
Sira -
Barama
These are closest to
Mbuun,
Ngongo and
Nsong-Mpiin.
References
{{Bantu-lang-stub