Kituba language explained

Kituba
Nativename:Monokutuba, Munukutuba, Kituba (mkw)
Kikongo ya leta (ktu)
Speakers:L1

million

Date:2018–2022
Ref:e27
Speakers2:L2

800,000

Speakers Label:Speakers
Familycolor:Creole
Fam1:Kongo-based creole
Nation:National language and unofficial language:

Lc1:mkw
Ld1:Kituba (RC)
Lc2:ktu
Ld2:Kituba (DRC)
Guthrie:H10A,B
Glotto:kitu1246
Glottoname:DRC
Glottorefname:Kituba (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Glotto2:kitu1245
Glottoname2:RC
Glottorefname2:Kituba (Congo)
Notice:IPA

Kituba (Kituba, Kikongo ya leta) is a widely used lingua franca in Central Africa. It is a creole language[1] based on Kikongo, a Bantu language. It is a national language in Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Names

Kituba is known by many names among its speakers. In academic circles the language is called Kikongo-Kituba.

In the Republic of the Congo it is called Munukutuba, a phrase which means literally "I say",[2] and is used in the Republic's 1992 constitution.[3] The latter (Kituba) means "way of speaking"[4] and is used in the 2015 constitution.[5]

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo it is called Kikongo ya leta ("the state's Kikongo"[2] or "Government Kikongo"[6]), or Kikongo de L'état, shortened to Kileta. Confusingly, it is also called Kikongo, especially in areas that lack Kongo (Kikongo) speakers,[6] namely the Kwango and Kwilu Provinces. The constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo lists "Kikongo" as one of the national languages,[7] [8] meaning Kituba.[9]

There are also other historical names such as Kibula-matadi (literally "the stone-breaker's speech"),[2] (literally "be not", "it isn't so"),[2] Kikwango, and Kizabave[10] (literally "do not know"), but they have largely fallen out of use.

Geographic distribution

The majority of Kituba speakers live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is spoken as the primary lingua franca in the provinces of Kongo Central, Kwango and Kwilu and to a lesser extent in Kinshasa, Mai-Ndombe and Kasai.

Kituba is spoken in the southern of the Republic of Congo, in regions of Kouilou, Pointe-Noire, Niari, Bouenza, Lékoumou and in the capital Brazzaville. Lingala is more popular in the north.

Kituba is also spoken in the northern part of Angola, since modern nations cut across the lines of tribal areas and ancient kingdoms, and northern Angola borders the Kwango Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo which is a strong Kituba-speaking area.[11]

Although mutually intelligible, there are differences, mainly in vocabulary, between the eastern and western areas of The Democratic Republic of Congo, and still more between the Kituba spoken there and that spoken in Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo).[11]

Official status

Kituba is a national language in the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In practice the term national language means that it is a language of regional administration, elementary education, and business.

A national language is also one that is used for public and mass communication. National public radios and televisions in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Republic of Congo use Kituba as one of their main languages for evening news.[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

History

There are several theories on how Kituba came into being. One theory claims that it had already evolved at the time of the Kongo Kingdom as a simplified interdialectal trade language, which the European colonists subsequently took into use for regional administration. Another theory claims that a simplified trade language called Kifyoti was developed at the Portuguese coastal trading 18post and it was later spread upstream by the Christian missionaries to the region between the Kwango and the Kasai rivers where it evolved further (hence the name Kikwango). Yet another theory emphasizes the construction of the Matadi-Kinshasa railroad at the end of the 1800s, which involved forced labour from West Africa, lower Congo, and the neighbouring Bandundu region. The workers had diverse linguistic backgrounds which gave birth to a grammatically simplified language.

Harold W. Fehdereau, a linguist and missionary, carried out a major linguistic survey of Kituba-speaking areas under the joint auspices of the American Bible Society and the American Mennonite Brethren Mission. He published his work in a Kituba-French-English dictionary in 1969. He traced the development of Kituba back to the 1800's or earlier, necessitated by the inter-tribal needs of the Congolese themselves, and later, their relationship with slave traders. Then in the early 1900's, the Belgian and French colonization of the area brought further need for a convenient language of communication with the Congolese. He admits that we do not have a very complete picture of the development of Kituba before the 1930's, when it came into wide use by Christian missionaries. He notes that many today have grown up knowing Kituba as their mother tongue, and at the same time, it has reached some complexity of grammar unusual to pidgin languages. He notes that there is an increasing tendency, particularly in the western Kituba-speaking region, to borrow words from French, adding Kituba prefixes and suffixes for everyday usage.[17]

Regardless of the genesis, Kituba established itself in the large towns that were found during the colonial period between 1885 and 1960. Kituba is spoken as the primary language in the large Bakongo cities of Moanda, Boma, Matadi, Pointe-Noire, Dolisie, Nkayi, and Brazzaville and also in large non-Bakongo cities of Bandundu, Kikwit, and Ilebo. It is the main language spoken throughout the modern provinces of Kwango and Kasai. A dialect called 'Monokutuba' is spoken in Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo).[18]

The first portions of the Bible were published in 1934, followed by the New Testament in 1950. A revision was published in 1957. The complete Bible was published in 1982, all by the Bible Society of Congo.[19] [20] [21]

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has published a translation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kituba.[22]

On 27 June 2024 Google announced the addition of 110 languages, including Kituba and Kikongo, to Google Translate. However, it turns out that Google has only added Kituba and is also mistakenly calling it Kikongo.[23] [24]

Differences between Kikongo and Kituba

Some examples of differences between Kikongo (Kisikongo, Kizombo, Kisolongo, Iwoyo, Kiyombe, Kisingombe, Kintandu, Kimanianga, Kindibu, Civili, Tsiladi (Lari), etc.) and Kituba (or Kikongo ya leta, Munukutuba, Monokutuba):[25] [26] [27]

1. Conjugation: In Kikongo, the conjugation of a tense to different persons is done by changing verbal prefixes, unlike in Kituba:

Example: verb "to be" conjugated in the present in Kikongo and Kituba:

EnglishKikongo (Civili)Kikongo (Cibinda / Tchibinda)Kituba (or Kikongo ya leta)
To Be or or Kuvanda
I am I ke (or I kele)NkeleMunu / Mono Ke (or Kele)
You are Ke (or Kele)Kele Nge Ke (or Kele)
He / She is Ke (or Kele)Kele Yandi Ke (or Kele)
We are Tu ke (or Tu kele)Tukele Beto Ke (or Kele)
You are Lu ke (or Lu kele)Lukele Beno Ke (or Kele)
They are Ba ke (or Ba kele)/ Be ke (or Be kele)Bakele Bau / Bo Ke (or Kele)

2. Negative form

!Kikongo!Kituba (or Kikongo ya leta)
K'usumbidi KO / Kusumbidi KO : You did not buy Yandi ke na nsoni  : He / She has no shame
KA tusingasala KO : We will not workMunu / Mu ke mona nge   : I cannot see you 
Luzingu lu kéli KUVÉ tok’ luboti, si sènde vandi si kéli : Life is only made of roses, but also of thornsEtc.Beto ke dia : We do not eatYandi vuandaka kusala : He / She was not used to working
Etc.

3. The way to say "My name is" is different :

!My name is in Kikongo !My name is in Kituba (or Kikongo ya leta)
Nkumbu ame / Nkumbu ami / Nkumbu ani / Dizina diame (or zina diame) / Dizina diami (or zina diami) / Dizina diani (or zina diani) / Lizina liami, etc.Zina na mono kele / Nkumbu ya mono kele / Nkumbu ya munu kele

4. Noun classes : noun prefixes are not completely the same (cf. the Kikongo and Kituba grammars)

Phonology

Vowels

Kituba has five vowel phonemes: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. They are very similar to the vowels of Spanish. Vowels are never reduced, regardless of stress. The vowels are pronounced as follows:

Consonants

LabialAlveolar/
Dental
PalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalwidth=20px style="border-right: 0;"width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/
Plosiveplainpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
prenasal.pronounced as /ᵐp/pronounced as /ᵐb/pronounced as /ⁿt/pronounced as /ⁿd/pronounced as /ᵑk/pronounced as /ᵑg/
Fricativeplainpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"(pronounced as /ink/)width=20px style="border-left: 0;"
prenasal.pronounced as /ᶬf/pronounced as /ᶬv/pronounced as /ⁿs/pronounced as /ⁿz/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/
Notes:

Grammar

Pronouns

Kituba has subject and object pronouns. The object pronouns are used in place of subject pronouns when the subject is being emphasized.

SingularPlural
Subject ObjectSubject Object
1st personmu munu, mono beto beto
2nd personnge nge beno beno
3rd personyandi ba bau
!I love you in kituba
Mu (or Munu, Mono) zola nge / Munu me zola nge / Mu me zola nge / Me zola nge / Mono (or Mu, Munu) ke zola nge

Nouns

Kituba has kept by and large the noun classes of ethnic Kikongo with some modifications. The classes 9 and 11 have in effect merged with the singular class with zero prefix, and their plural is formed with generic plural class prefix ba-.

SingularPlural
Class Prefix Example Class Prefix Example
0 mama (mother) 2 ba- bamama (mothers)
1 mu- muntu (person) 2 ba- bantu (people)
3 mu- mulangi (bottle) 4 mi- milangi (bottles)
5 di- dinkondo (banana) 6 ma- mankondo (bananas)
7 ki- kima (thing) 8 bi- bima (things)
9 n-/m- nkosi (lion) 2+9 ba-n- bankosi (lions)
11 lu- ludimi (tongue) 2+11 ba-lu- baludimi (tongues)
12 ka- kakima (trifle) 13 tu- tubima (trifles)
14 bu bumbote (goodness)
15 ku- kubanza (to think, thinking)

Verbs

Kituba has a well-developed verbal system involving grammatical tense and aspect. Most verb forms have long and short versions. The long forms are used in formal written communication whereas the short forms have developed for spoken communication.

The irregular conjugation of the verb or (to be) is presented in the table below. It is the only irregular verb in Kituba.

Tense Long form Short form Example Translation
Present and immediate future kele ke Yau kele nkosi. It is a lion.
Future kele/ata kuv(u)anda ke/ta v(u)anda Mu ta vuanda tata. I will be a father.
Present progressive kele kuv(u)andaka ke v(u)andaka Nge ke vuandaka zoba. You are being stupid.
Future progressive ata kuv(u)andaka ta v(u)andaka Beno ta vuandaka ya kukuela. You will be married.
Past v(u)anda Yandi vuanda kuna. He was there.
Past progressive v(u)andaka Beto vuandaka banduku. We used to be friends.
Past perfect mene kuv(u)anda me v(u)anda Yandi me vuanda na Matadi. He was in Matadi.
Past perfect progressive mene kuv(u)andaka me v(u)andaka Yandi me vuandaka mulongi. She has been a teacher.

All other verbs are conjugated with the help of auxiliary verbs. The conjugation of the verb (to do) is presented in the table below.

Tense Long form Short form Example Translation
Present and immediate future kele kusala ke sala Yandi ke sala. He works. / He will work.
Present progressive kele kusalaka ke salaka Yandi ke salaka. He is working.
Past salaka salaka Yandi salaka. He worked.
Immediate past mene sala me sala Yandi me sala. He has worked.
Immediate past progressive mene salaka me salaka Yandi me salaka. He has been working.
Past progressive vuandaka kusala va sala Yandi vuandaka kusala. He used to work.
Narrative sala sala
Future ata sala ta sala Yandi ta sala. He will work.
Future progressive ata salaka ta salaka Yandi ta salaka. He will be working.

Voice

The suffix indicating voice is adding after the verb root and before the suffix indicating tense.

The most common forms are "ila", indicating action to or toward someone, and "ana", indicating mutual or reciprocal action:

Kutanga "to read", Tangila "read to", Tangilaka "read to" (past)

Sadisa "to help", Sadisana "help one another", Sadisanaka "helped one another (past)[28]

Dictionary

A Kituba-English-French dictionary compiled by linguist Harold W. Fehderau, Ph.D., was published in 1969. It is not widely available.[29]

Lexicon

The bulk of Kituba words come from Kikongo. Other Bantu languages have influenced it as well, including Kiyaka, Kimbala, Kisongo, Kiyansi, Lingala, and Swahili. In addition, many words have been borrowed from French, Portuguese, and English.[30] These include:

Sample text

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights translates to:

Bantu nyonso, na mbutukulu kevwandaka na kimpwanza ya bawu, ngenda mpe baluve ya mutindu mosi. Mayela na mbanzulu ke na bawu, ni yawu yina bafwana kusalasana na bumpangi.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."[22]

Literature

In 2018, a book (Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: Mbandu ya luzingu by Protais Yumbi) written in Kikongo ya Leta was nominated for the Grand Prix of Literary Associations.[31] [32] A hymnbook, Bankunga ya Kintwadi (Songs of Fellowship) was published in 1988 by the Mennonite Brethren Mission. It is widely used by numerous Protestant denominations.[33] Almost a hundred Kituba-language books and articles have been published by Every Child Ministries' Mwinda Project. These include articles on Christian education, Bible lessons for children and youth, teacher training, health, and a variety of other topics. These are available on-line and at bookstores and libraries within the Democratic Republic of Congo.[34]

See also

References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=IGEiKkpNP-gC Pidgins and Creoles: an introduction by Jacques Arends, Pieter Muysken, Norval Smith
  2. Encyclopedia: Kikongo-Kituba . en. Britannica . 14 December 2020.
  3. Web site: République du Congo: Constitution du 15 mars 1992 . fr. Article 3 . Digithèque matériaux juridiques et politiques . Jean-Pierre . Maury . . 14 December 2020.
  4. Book: Mufwene, Salikoko S. . https://mufwene.uchicago.edu/publications/KITUBA_KILETA_OR_KIKONGO.pdf . 2021-07-31 . Kituba, or Kikongo? What's in a name? . Le nom des langues III: Le nom des langues en Afrique sub-saharienne: pratiques, dénominations, catégorisations. Naming Languages in Sub-Saharan Africa: Practices, Names, Categorisations . de Féral . Carole . 2009 . . Louvain-la-Neuve . . 124 . 9789042922709 .
  5. Web site: Congo: Constitution de 2015 . fr. Article 4 . Digithèque matériaux juridiques et politiques . Jean-Pierre . Maury . . 14 December 2020.
  6. Book: Swift . Lloyd Balderston . Zola . Emile W. A. . Kituba: Basic Course . . Washington, D.C. . 1963 . x . 877994 . Foreign Service Institute Basic Course Series . Hodge . Carleton T. .
  7. Web site: Constitution de la République Démocratique du Congo . 2006-02-18 . Kinshasa . Journal Officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo . fr . Article 1 . 14 December 2020.
  8. Web site: Constitution de la République Démocratique du Congo . 2011-02-05 . Kinshasa . Journal Officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo . fr . Article 1 . 6 January 2021.
  9. PhD . Godefroid . Muzalia Kihangu . Bundu Dia Kongo: une résurgence des messianismes et de l'alliances des Bakongo? . . 2011 . Ghent . 30 . 1854/LU-4132125 . Mais le dont il est question ici est le ou munukutuba... érigé en langue nationale par les différentes constitutions de la R.D.C. . But the in question here is the or munukutuba... made into a national language by the various constitutions of the DRC. .
  10. Book: Reinecke . John E. . Tsuzaki . Stanley M. . DeCamp . David . Hancock . Ian F. . Wood . Richard E. . 2 . Kituba (Lingua Franca Kikongo) . A Bibliography of Pidgin and Creole Languages . 1975 . Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications . 14 . 14 . 649–653 . University of Hawai'i Press . 20006662 . http://www.jstor.org/stable/20006662 . 2021-07-31 .
  11. 2022 Annual Report, Every Child Ministries' Mwinda Project, ECM, Hebron, IN
  12. Web site: Langues et education en Afrique noire . fr. 1997. PY Esther. Thomas Bearth. The Educational Resources Information Center(Eric), Institut de Linguistique, Universite Neuchatel, Suisse. 18. 19 January 2021.
  13. Jack Berry et Thomas Albert Sebeok, Linguistics in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mouton De Gruyter; Reprint 2017 ed. édition (1 avril 1971), .
  14. Web site: RDC INFO DU 24/05/2012 EN KIKONGO (Correction: KIKONGO YA LETA). https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7F4H0oj_aQ0 . 2021-12-21 . live. fr. 2012. TELE50. 19 January 2021.
  15. Web site: INFO EN KIKONGO (Correction: KIKONGO YA LETA) – 21 MARS 2012 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/nVHMM_He8o8 . 2021-12-21 . live. fr. 2012. RTNC. 19 January 2021.
  16. Web site: JOURNAL EN LANGUE NATIONALE DU CONGO KITUBA 19 03 2014 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/qdgDTpRoJEs . 2021-12-21 . live. Fr. 2014. MNTV. 19 January 2021.
  17. Dictionnaire Kituba-français-anglais, Harold W. Fehdereau, Ph.D.,Editions LECO, Kinshasa,1969.pp.xxv-xxvi
  18. 2022 Annual Report, Every Child Ministries' Mwinda Project for the Congo
  19. Dictionnaire Kikongo (ya Leta) Anglais-Francais, Harold W. Fehdereau, Ph.D., 1960, Editions LECO, Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo,p.ix
  20. La Bible en Kituba, 1982, 1990, La Société Biblique duCongo
  21. Book: Matai 1 | NTK50 Bible | YouVersion .
  22. Web site: Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kituba (i.e. Kikongo ya Leta) . OHCHR . en. 14 February 2021.
  23. Web site: 110 new languages are coming to Google Translate . Google . en. 13 July 2024.
  24. Web site: Google ajoute 110 langues minoritaires à son traducteur dont le breton . Abpbzh . fr. 13 July 2024.
  25. Luntadila Nlandu Inocente, Nominalisations en kìsìkongò (H16): Les substantifs predicatifs et les verbes-supports Vánga, Sála, Sá et Tá (faire), Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 2015 (In French)
  26. Joaquim Mbachi, CAMINHOS DA GRAMÁTICA IBINDA, Cabinda (Angola), 2013 (In Portuguese)
  27. Robert Tinou, Abécédaire du kouilou zaab’ ku tub’ tchi vili, L’HARMATTAN, 2015 (In French)
  28. Harold W. Fehdereau, Ph.D., Dictionnaire Kikonga (ya Leta)-Anglais-Francais, (Kinshasa: Editions LECO, 1969) p. xxxvi
  29. Harold W. Fehdereau, Ph.D., Dictionnaire Kikonga (ya Leta)-Anglais-Francais (Kinshasa: Editions LECO, 1969)
  30. William Frawley, International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: 4-Volume Set, Oxford University Press, USA, 2003, p. 351
  31. News: 28 March 2019 . Un Livre En Kikongo Parmi Les Nominés .
  32. Web site: Protais Yumbi, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela:Mbandu ya luzingu (1918–2013). Nzoi. fr. 20 June 2018. 28 July 2020.
  33. CFMZ, printed at CEDI, 1988
  34. Web site: 92 Free Kituba language Bible teaching resources for you | Congo Mwinda Project . 30 January 2023 .

Bibliography

External links