TheLimba language,Hulimba, is aNiger–Congo language ofSierra Leone andGuinea. It is not closely related to other languages and appears to form its own branch of theNiger–Congo family.^[3] Dialects includeTonko, Sela, Kamuke (orKe),Wara-wara, Keleng, Biriwa, andSafroko. The eastern variety, spoken primarily inGuinea, is quite distinct. Limba has a system ofnoun classes, marked by an old, eroded set of prefixes augmented by a newer set ofenclitics.

Ethnologue lists the following two varieties of Limba, spoken inGuinea andSierra Leone.

East Limba is spoken inOuré-Kaba,Guinea.

West-Central Limba is spoken in northernSierra Leone. It is spoken in theLittle Scarcies River area in eastBombali District and northeastKambia District, as well as north ofMakeni.

Like neighboringTemne, Limba has an unusual contrast among its consonants. It distinguishesdental andalveolar, but the dental consonants areapical and the alveolar consonants arelaminal, the opposite of the general pattern.^[4]

• Sounds /f/ and /ɡ/ are heard across dialects.^[5]

Noun classes are distinguished by the form of the definite article (class particle) which follows the noun, and sometimes also by a prefix. Roughly, the following classes can be deduced from the examples given by Mary Lane Clarke:^[6]

A. Person class

• Examples:
• Wukọnọ wo - a Kono person;
• sapiri wo - crowbar;
• kaň wo - the sun

Definite article (follows the noun):wo; pronoun ("he, she, it" as subject):wunde, wun

B. People class

• Examples:
• Bikọnọ be - Kono people;
• sapiriň be - crowbars;
• bia be - people, ancestors

Definite article:be; pronoun:bende, ben

C. Language class

• Examples:
• Hukọnọ ha - the Kono language;
• hutori ha - toe

Definite article:ha; pronoun: -?- (presumably this is neuter according to class, and so on through the neuter classes)

D. Country class

• Examples:
• Kakọnọ ka - Konoland

Definite article:ka

E. Bodkins class

• Examples:
• tatọli ta - bodkins;
• tatori ta - toe

Definite article:ta

F. Cascade class

• Examples:
• kutintọ ko - cascade;
• kekeň ko - country;
• kutiň ko - dog

Definite article:ko

G. Dogs class, plurals of F.

• Examples:
• ňatintọ ňa - cascades;
• ňakeň ňa - countries
• ňatiň ňa - dogs

Definite article:ňa

H. Arrival class

• Examples:
• matebeň ma - calm (noun);
• matalaň ma - arrival;
• masandiň ma - needle

Definite article:ma

I. Needles class, plurals of H.

• Examples:
• masandi ma - needles;
• matubucuciň ma - signs;
• mendeň ma - days, sleeps

Definite article:ma

J. Yam class

• Examples:
• ndamba ki - yam;
• nbēn ki (theb is a "smothered b") - bracelet;
• nkala ki - vine

Definite article:ki

K. Bracelets class, plurals of J.

• Examples:
• ndambeň ki - yams;
• nbēni ki ("smothered b" as above) - bracelets;
• nbuliň ki (also with "smothered b") - windpipes

Definite article:ki

L. Meat class

• Examples:
• piňkari ba - gun, musket;
• bọňa ba (bọňa has "smothered b", as above) - path, way;
• bara ba - meat, flesh

Definite article:ba

M. Boxes class, plurals of L.

• Examples:
• piňkariň ba - guns, muskets;
• bọňeň ba (bọňeň also has "smothered b") - paths, ways;
• kankaren ba - boxes, trunks

Definite article:ba

N. Yarn class

• Examples:
• mulufu mu - woof, yarn;
• muceňi mu - suffering;
• mufukeki mu - fan

Definite article:mu

O. Waves class

• Examples:
• muňkuliň mu - waves;
• mudọňiň mu - habitations

Definite article:mu

P. Kusini-fruits class

• Examples:
• busini bu - fruits of the kusini tree

Definite article:bu

Q. A class with definite articlewu

• Examples: - ? -

Other nouns, including nouns of quantity, etc., take no article. It may be that they are classless:

• Examples:
• Alukorana - the Qur'an (Arabic);
• disa - fringe, shawl;
• duba - ink (from Mandingo);
• kameci - late, brown rice

• Clarke, Mary Lane. 1922 [1971].A Limba-English Dictionary or Tampeṅ Ta Ka Taluṅ Ta Ka Hulimba Ha In Huiṅkilisi Ha. Westmead, Farnborough: Gregg International Publishers Limited. (1971 reprint of 1922 book published by Houghton.)
• Guillaume Segerer & Florian Lionnet 2010."'Isolates' in 'Atlantic'".Language Isolates in Africa workshop, Lyon, Dec. 4

• Atlantic languages
• Languages of Sierra Leone
• Languages of Guinea

• Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from August 2018
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Language articles with old speaker data
• ISO language articles citing sources other than Ethnologue