Luna (orLuna Inkongo) is aBantu language of easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo. Assigned by Guthrie to a group calledSonge (L.20), it is presumably one of theLuban languages established by Ahmed (1995), like most of the other Songe languages, though it was not specifically addressed.^[3] Ruhlen (1987) agrees in placing it with the Luban languages.

/g/ is always prenasalized, and k is almost always palatalized. /p/ is realized as [Φ] if not following /m/.

Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable.

As is typical of Bantu languages, Luna utilizes a noun-class system defined by prefixes. The distal demonstrative 'that, yon' can be formed by adding the prefixyi- to the form. These are defined below:

Additionally, there are three locative/adverbial prefixes, these beingku- (at a place, motion towards something),mu- (motion into something, within something), andpa- (near to or on, approaching something).

Pronouns are prefixed to the front of a verb before the tense (except for objective form, which is placed directly before the verb root) and verb root. Possessive pronouns generally follow the noun they possess. They are as follows.^[6]

Ngu- is the first person singular subject prefix except before -di 'to be' (ndi 'I am')-bili 'to know' (mbili 'I know') and in the present tense progressive aspect of verbs, indicated bytana- (n-tana-nanga 'I am loving') and before object infixes. If there is an indirect and direct object, the indirect object is infixed in the object position and the direct object is moved to the end of the verb.The present and past progressive can also be expressed using the expressing-di mu + infinitive verb, literally to 'be in doing.' Relative pronouns are the same as subject pronouns when the subject, and moved to after the object pronoun when an object. (e. g.ngwakadya bukula 'I ate the flour' >bukula bunakadya 'the flour which I ate'). In relative clauses,ta- replaces the negative prefix.

Various tense, aspect, and mood (TAM) prefixes may be added to a verb to modify its meaning.[7] In the present progressive, past continuous, past perfective, past pluperfect, and simple future, the infinitive morphemeku- must be placed before the first vowel of a vowel-initial verb, except for in -angata 'fetch' and -akala 'be'. In monosyllabic vowels, the first consonant and vowel (-VC) are repeated (e. g. -fwa 'die' >nfofwa 'I die',-ela 'throw' >ngwelela 'I throw') in the first person singular. If the root is not vowel-initial, the vowel -e- is inserted if the final syllable is-ya, and-o- is inserted in all other cases. The final vowel becomes-i in thehortative imperative. The prefixbi- indicates a meaning of 'so that, that, in order that' and the suffix-po 'please' 'is added to commands when addressing a superior.

Additionally, complex verbs can be derived from simple verbs using prefixes.

There are a few adverbs that affix directly onto the verb:

Cardinal numerals decline as both adjectives and simple numerals.

• Westcott, William Henry (1923).Concise Grammar of Luna Inkongo(PDF). Bristol: Henry Hill Limited.

• Luban languages
• Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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