Lese is a Central Sudanic language of northeastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, as well as a name for the people who speak this language. The Lese people live in association with the Efé Pygmies and share their language, which is occasionally known as Lissi or Efe. Although Efe is given a separate ISO code, Bahuchet (2006) notes that it is not even a distinct dialect, though there is dialectical variation in the language of the Lese (Dese, Karo). Lese is spoken in

Mambasa Territory Mambasa Territory is an administrative area in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The headquarters is in the town of Mambasa. Mambasa Territory is threatened with deforestation due to illegal forestry to meet high demand f ...

, Watsa Territory, and

Irumu Territory Irumu is a territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the northeastern part of the country, 1,700 km east of the capital Kinshasa. Its administrative center is the town of Irumu. The territory nearly en ...

Phonology

Consonants

* is an allophone of . In the Demolin 1999, the meaning of is unclear, but seems to be a voiceless labial–uvular stop with significant lowering and a strong release. More research is needed to determine the true nature of this sound. * /r/ can also be heard as a tap sound .

Vowels

* In rare cases, /ɛ/ can be heard in phonological opposition as a rounded .

References

African Pygmies Pygmy languages Central Sudanic languages Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo {{NiloSaharan-lang-stub