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| Lega | |
|---|---|
| Native to | DR Congo |
| Ethnicity | Lega |
Native speakers | (450,000 cited 1982–2000)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:lea – Shabunda Legalgm – Mwenga Legakhx – Kanuktf – Kwami |
| Glottolog | lega1253 |
D.25,251[2] | |
| ELP | Kanu |
'Lega is aBantu language, ordialect cluster, of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo. There are two major varieties,Shabunda Lega,Mwenga Lega; Mwenga Lega, with about 10% of speakers, finds Shabunda difficult to understand.[citation needed]
Variant spellings of 'Lega' areRega, Leka, Ileka, Kilega, Kirega. Shabunda is also known asIgonzabale, and Mwenga asShile orIshile.Gengele is reported to be a Shabunda-basedcreole.
According toEthnologue,Bembe is part of the same dialect continuum.Nyindu is a dialect of Shi that has been heavily influenced by Lega.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | |
| voiced | b | d | (ɟ) | g | |
| Fricative | voiceless | (f) | s | ʃ | |
| voiced | v | z | |||
| Trill | r | ||||
| Lateral | l | ||||
| Approximant | j | w | |||
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