The Teke languages are a group of
Bantu languages
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 ...
spoken by the
Teke people
The Teke people or Bateke, also known as the Tyo or Tio, are a Bantu Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages and that mainly inhabit the south, north, and center of the Republic of the Congo, the west of the Democratic Repub ...
in the western
Congo and in
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
. They are coded Zone B.70 in Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), the Teke languages apart from
West Teke form a valid node with Tende (part of B.80):
:
Tsege
:
Teghe (Tɛgɛ, North Teke)
:
Ngungwel (Ngungulu, NE Teke) –
Central Teke (Njyunjyu/Ndzindziu, Boo/Boma/Eboo)
:
Tio (Bali) –
East Teke (Mosieno, Ng'ee/Ŋee)
:
Kukwa (Kukuya, South Teke)
:
Fuumu (South Teke) –
Wuumu (Wumbu)
:
Tiene (B.80)
:
Mfinu (B.80)
:
Mpuono (B.80)
Pacchiarotti et al. (2019) retain West Teke and include additional B.80 languages:
[Sara Pacchiarotti, Natalia Chousou-Polydouri & Koen Bostoen (2019) 'Untangling the West-Coastal Bantu mess: identification, geography and phylogeny of the Bantu B50–80 languages.' ''Africana Linguistica'' 21: 87–162.]
;Teke (Kasai–Ngounie)
*
Boma Nkuu
*
Wuumu-Mpuono ix links*
Mfinu
*Kwa South:
East Teke
*Kwa–Kasai North
**
Boma Yumu
**
Sakata
**Tiinic:
Boma Nord,
Kempee,
Tiene
**Central Kasai–Ngounie
***
Ngungwel,
Central Teke (Teke-Eboo-Nzikou)
***Interior Kasai–Ngounie
****
Teke-Fuumu
****
Teke-Kukuya
****
Teke-Tyee
****West Kasai–Ngounie
*****
Teke-Tsaayi
*****Mbere:
Kaningi,
Ndumu,
Latege,
Mbere-Mbamba,
Tchitchege
The Tsege language, ''Tchitchege'', is a member of the Teke dialect continuum
A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intellig ...
*****
Teke-Laali,
Yaka,
Njebi,
Tsaangi,
Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
,
Wandji
Wanzi (Wandji) is a Bantu language spoken in Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by ...
,
Vili of Ngounie
Footnotes
{{Bantu-lang-stub