Banda languages explained

Banda languages should not be confused with Banda language (Maluku).

Banda
Ethnicity:	Banda people
Region:	Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Fam1:	Niger–Congo?
Fam2:	Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:	Volta–Congo
Fam4:	Savanna?
Child1:	Central
Child2:	South
Child3:	Mbandja
Child4:	Ngbundu
Child5:	West
Iso2:	bad
Iso5:	bad
Glotto:	band1341
Glottorefname:	Bandaic

Banda is a family of Ubangian languages spoken by the Banda people of Central Africa. Banda languages are distributed in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.

Languages

Olson (1996)

Olson (1996) classifies the Banda family as follows (Ethnologue 16 employs this classification):

• Central
  • Central Banda (a dialect cluster, incl. Mono)
  • Yangere
• South Banda (SC)
• Mbandja (S)
• Ngbundu (SW)
• West Banda (WC)

Moñino (1988)

A comprehensive list of Banda languages and dialects listed in Moñino (1988) is provided as follows. All of them are spoken in the Central African Republic unless otherwise noted in parentheses, since some Banda languages and dialects are also spoken in the DR Congo and South Sudan.^[1]

Banda

• Central (39 languages)
  • Yakpà (also in DR Congo), Gubú (also in DR Congo), Kpágùà (also in DR Congo), Ngùndù, Bòngò, Wasá (also in South Sudan), Dùkpù (also in South Sudan)
  • Lìndá, Jòtò, Ndòkpà, Ngápó
  • Southern Gbàgà, Nbìyì, Bèrèyà, Ngòlà, Ndi, Kâ, Gbambiya, Hàì, Galabò, Vídìrì (Mvédèrè) (also in South Sudan), Bàndà-Bàndà, Burú (only in South Sudan), Wùndù (only in South Sudan), Gòv̂òrò (only in South Sudan)
  • Bàndà-Ndele, Bàndà-Kpaya (only in South Sudan), Ngàò, Ngbalá, Tàngbàgò (also in South Sudan), Júnguru (also in South Sudan)
  • Mbere, Búkà, Mòrùbà, Sàbángà, Wádà (also in South Sudan)
  • Vàrà (also in South Sudan), Tògbò (also in South Sudan)
  • Yàngere
• Peripheral (11 languages)
  • West Central

Dákpá, Gbî, Northern Gbàgà, Wójò

• • South Central

Làngabàsi (or Làngbàsi^[2]) (also in DR Congo), Ngbúgù, Làngbà

• • Central

Mbanza (also in DR Congo), Mbanja (only in DR Congo)

• • Southwestern

Ngbùndù (also in DR Congo), Kpala (only in DR Congo)

Banda-Ndélé groups are Govo, Ngàjà, Gbòngó, Mbàtá, Gbàyà, Tulu, and Dabùrù (Moñino 1988).

Central Sudanic influences

The Banda languages have a Bongo-Bagirmi substratum (Cloarec-Heiss 1995, 1998). Central Sudanic, particularly Bongo-Bagirmi, influence is evident in Banda phonology, morphosyntax, and lexicon (including cultural vocabulary, and names for flora and fauna). Many of these influences are absent in other Ubangian language groups.^{[3] [4]}

Notes

1. Moñino, Yves (1988). Lexique comparatif des langues oubanguiennes. Paris: Geuthner.
2. Nougayrol, Pierre. 1989. Les Groupes Banda du Bamingui-Bangoran (RCA). Révue d'Ethnolinguistique (Cahiers du LACITO) 4: 197-208.
3. Cloarec-Heiss, France. 1995. Emprunts ou substrat? Analyse des convergences entre le groupe banda et les langues du Soudan Central. In Nicolaï & Rottland (eds.), 321–355.
4. Cloarec-Heiss, France. 1998. Entre oubanguien et soudan central: les langues banda. In Maddieson & Hinnebusch (eds.), 1–16.

References

• Olson, Kenneth S. (1996) 'On the comparison and classification of Banda dialects'. Chicago Linguistic Society (CLS) 32(1). 267–283.