Mangbutu–Lese languages

{{Short description|Central Sudanic language cluster}}

{{Infobox language family

|name=Mangbutu–Lese

|altname=Mangbutu–Efe

|region=Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda

|familycolor=Nilo-Saharan

|fam2=Central Sudanic

|fam3=Eastern

|child1=Mangbutu

|child2=Mvuba

|child3=Ndo (Membitu)

|child4=Mamvu

|child5=Lese (incl. Efe)

|child6=?Bendi

|glotto=memb1239

|glottorefname=Membi–Mangbutu–Efe

}}

The Mangbutu–Lese languages of the Central Sudanic language family, also known as Mangbutu–Efe or simply Mangbutu (e.g. Starostin 2016), are a cluster of closely related languages spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Moru–Madi languages are spoken to the northeast, and Mangbetu languages are spoken to the west.Bokula, Moiso & Agozia-Kario Irumu. 1994. Bibliographie et matériaux lexicaux des langues Moru-Mangbetu (Soudan-Central, Zaïre). Annales Aequatoria 10: 203‒245.

The languages are:

:Mangbutu, Mvuba, Ndo, Mamvu, Lese, Bendi.

Efe (the language of the Efe Pygmies) is often counted as another, but appears to be a dialect of Lese. Ndo (Membitu) is the most populous language and is spoken by a caste of blacksmiths.