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Mbandja language

{{Short description|Banda language spoken in central Africa}}

{{distinguish|Mbandja language (Angola){{!}}Mbandja Ovambo}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Mbandja

|states=Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic

|region=

|speakers={{sigfig|362,000|2}}

|date=2000

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam1=Ubangian

|fam2=Banda

|dia1=Kala

|dia2=Gbado

|iso3=zmz

|glotto=mban1263

|glottorefname=Mbandja

}}

Mbandja (Banja, Mbanza) is the largest of the Banda languages. There are 350,000 speakers in DRC, 10,000 in the Republic of Congo, and an unknown number in CAR.

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |

! rowspan="2" |Bilabial

! rowspan="2" |Labio-
dental

! rowspan="2" |Dental/
Alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Post-
alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Palatal

! colspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Glottal

plain

!lab.

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|

|{{IPA link|n}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|({{IPA link|ŋ}})

|

|

rowspan="4" |Plosive/
Affricate

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|

|{{IPA link|t}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}

|

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|k͡p}}

|{{IPA link|ʔ}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|

|{{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}

|

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}}

|

|{{IPA link|ⁿd}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd͡ʒ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ͡b}}

|

implosive

|{{IPA link|ɓ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɗ}}

|

|

|

|

|

rowspan="3" |Fricative

!voiceless

|

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA link|ʃ}}

|

|

|

|

voiced

|{{IPA link|β}}

|{{IPA link|v}}

|{{IPA link|z}}

|{{IPA link|ʒ}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɦ}}

prenasal

|

|

|{{IPA link|ⁿz}}

|

|

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

|

|

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Lateral

|

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

|

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Approximant

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

  • [ŋ] mainly occurs as a sound of /n/, when preceding a velar consonant.{{Cite book|last=Tingbo|first=Nyi-Zonga|title=Étude grammaticale de la langue mbandza (dialecte de báláwo)|publisher=Université Nationale du Zaïre: Lubumbashi|year=1978}}

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center

|+Oral vowels

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

Close

|{{IPA link|i}}

|{{IPA link|ɨ}}

|{{IPA link|u}}

rowspan="2" |Mid

|{{IPA link|e}}

|{{IPA link|ə}}

|{{IPA link|o}}

{{IPA link|ɛ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɔ}}

Open

|

|{{IPA link|a}}

|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+Nasal vowels

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

Close

|{{IPA link|ĩ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ũ}}

Mid

|{{IPA link|ẽ}}

|

|{{IPA link|õ}}

Open

|

|{{IPA link|ã}}

|

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}

{{Ubangian languages}}

Category:Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Category:Languages of the Republic of the Congo

Category:Languages of the Central African Republic

Category:Banda languages

{{Ubangian-lang-stub}}