Lega is a Bantu language, or dialect cluster, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are two major varieties, Shabunda Lega and Mwenga Lega; Mwenga Lega, with about 10% of speakers, finds Shabunda difficult to understand. Kanu has been assigned a separate ISO code but is a dialect of Shabunda, and no more divergent than other dialects.
| 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 |
Variant spellings of 'Lega' are Rega, Leka, Ileka, Kilega, Kirega. Shabunda is also known as Igonzabale, and Mwenga as Shile or Ishile. Gengele is reported to be a Shabunda-based creole.
According to Ethnologue, Bembe is part of the same dialect continuum. Nyindu is a dialect of Shi that has been heavily influenced by Lega.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
Consonants
| 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 | |||