The Kongo languages are a clade of
Bantu language
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages.
The t ...
s, coded Zone H.10 in Guthrie's classification, that are spoken by the
Bakongo
The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others.
They have lived ...
:
:
Beembe (Pangwa, Doondo, Kamba, Hangala),
Ndingi,
Kunyi,
Mboka,
Kongo
Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa:
* Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
,
Western Kongo
Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...
,
Laari (Laadi),
Vili,
Yombe,
Suundi
Languages
''Glottolog'', based on Koen Bostoen (2018, 2019), classifies two dozen languages of the Kongo language cluster as follows:
*Kikongo language cluster
**Hungan-Samba:
Hungan,
Samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...
**Nuclear cluster
***Yaka-Suku:
Suku,
Yaka-Pelende-Lonzo
***"Kikongoic"
****
Beembe
****Kambakunyic Kikongo
*****Kamba-Kunyi:
Kaamba,
Kunyi
*****Kilaadic Kikongo
******Nuclear Northern Kikongo:
Doondo,
Laari,
Suundi
******Central-Southern Kikongo
*******Southeastern Kikongo
********
Eastern Kikongo
********Southern Kikongo:
Hungu-Pombo, Koongo-Kituba (Congo
Kituba, DRC
Kituba, South-Central
Koongo)
*******West Kikongo
********
San Salvador Kongo
********
Yombe
********Vilic
*********
Vili
*********Lumbuic
**********
Lumbu
Lumbu is a Bantu language spoken in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the ...
,
Bwisi
**********
Ngubi;
Punu -
Vumbu (Vungu),
Sangu -
Sira -
Barama
These are closest to
Mbuun,
Ngongo and
Nsong-Mpiin.
References
{{Bantu-lang-stub