Bonjo language

{{Short description|Atlantic–Congo language spoken in Congo}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Bonjo

| nativename =

| states = Republic of Congo

| ethnicity =

| speakers = 3,000

| date = no date

| ref = e16

| familycolor = Niger-Congo

| fam2 = Atlantic–Congo

| fam3 = Benue–Congo

| fam4 = Bantoid

| fam5 = Bantu (Zone C.10)

| fam6 = Ngondi–Ngiri

| iso3 = bok

| glotto = bonj1234

| glottorefname = Impfondo

| guthrie = C143

}}

Bonjo, also known as Mbonzo or Impfondo, is a Bantu language spoken by around 3,000 people in northern Republic of Congo, particularly the Likouala Department near the town of Impfondo. Speakers are gradually shifting to Lingala.

The classification of Bonjo has shifted over time. Ethnologue formerly classified it as a southern Gbaya language,Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/15. but as of the twenty-sixth edition has reclassified it as a Bantoid and member of the Ngondi–Ngiri family.Eberhard, David M., Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2023. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-sixth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bok/ Some sources continue to list it as a southern Gbaya language.{{cite web |title=Bonjo |url=https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/521 |website=Endangered Language Project |access-date=26 May 2023}}

Bonjo is closely related to the Bomitaba language, spoken in the same region.{{cite web |title=Spoken L1 Language: Impfondo |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/bonj1234 |website=Glottolog |access-date=27 May 2023}}