The Jeliya catalogue uses Lingála / Lingala. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Kinshasa Lingala (ling1263). Its ISO 639-3 code is lin. [1]
Draft — awaiting native-speaker review
Used across the two Congos, with literary and spoken varieties. Music has helped carry Lingala throughout the diaspora.
Opening retained from the existing catalogue; awaiting editorial and speaker review.The Jeliya catalogue uses Lingála / Lingala. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Kinshasa Lingala (ling1263). Its ISO 639-3 code is lin. [1]
Glottolog associates this record with the following country codes: CD, CF, CG. Catalogue locations do not enumerate diaspora or second-language use. [1]
No dated, scope-checked speaker estimate has been approved for this page.
The catalogue classification follows this sequence: Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Bantoid → Southern Bantoid → Narrow Bantu → Central-Western Bantu → North Zaire River → Rivers Bantu → Ngiri → Ngiri Riverain Ubangi → Ngiri Riverain Ubangi-Ripuaire → Bobangic → Bobangic Riverain → Bobangi-Bangala-Lingala → Lingala-Bangala. [1]
The Glottolog bibliography includes a linguistic description attributed to Cambier, Emeri 1891 and a more recent one attributed to Meeuwis, Michael 2021. These are publication dates, not language origins. [1]
Latin writing may distinguish ɛ/ɔ and tones in educational material, while informal texts often omit them. Preserve the standard behind each entry.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Seven vowels in many descriptions /i e ɛ a ɔ o u/; some urban speech merges mid-vowel distinctions. Lexical and grammatical high/low tone matter.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A PHOIBLE record links published sound-inventory descriptions for this language. Inventory analysis can differ by variety and study; example words, letter values and a learner-facing pronunciation table still require a checked reference and speaker recordings. [5]
A reviewed alphabet, sound-by-sound IPA guide and reference recordings are still needed.
Awaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
SVO, noun classes and concord; urban varieties can simplify agreement compared with literary norms. Verb extensions and aspect remain central.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A language-specific Grambank record is linked for comparison of grammatical features and their underlying references. Feature coding is an analytical resource; it is not a beginner explanation, a complete grammar or a substitute for a teacher’s review. [3]
Choose standard literary or conversational urban Lingala
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.An entry separates the headword, part of speech, senses and cited examples. A variant is another documented form; a synonym is a different word with a related meaning. Derived expressions can have their own entry. Follow source links and variety tags before using a form.
Search the everyday spelling and check tone-marked forms. ɛ, ɔ, ɲ and ŋ are letters, not removable accents. Search tolerance does not mean two spellings are the same word. Save an entry to keep its stable identity in your wordbook.
Open the dictionaryAwaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Editorial adaptation: Jeliya
Language reviewer: awaiting appointment
Last revision: 10/12/2026
Harald Hammarström, Robert Forkel, Martin Haspelmath and Sebastian Bank
CC BY 4.0
Source checked: 10/12/2026Meeuwis, Michael 2021
Source checked: 10/12/2026