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Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a multilingual country where an estimated total of 242 languages are spoken. Ethnologue lists 215 living languages.[1] The official language, since the colonial period, is French, one of the languages of Belgium. Four other languages, all of them Bantu based, have the status of national language: Kikongo-Kituba, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba.

Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Map showing the distribution of the four national languages in the Congo
OfficialFrench
NationalKituba, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba
IndigenousMore than 200
SignedAmerican Sign Language (Francophone African Sign Language)
Keyboard layout
French AZERTY
Lingua francaFrench, Kikongo ya leta, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a Francophone country, where, as of 2024, 55.393 million (50.69%) out of 109.276 million people speak French[2] and 74% report using French as a lingua franca.[3]

In 2024 there were over 12 million native French speakers, or around 12% of the population. [4]

When the country was a Belgian colony, it had already instituted teaching and use of the four national languages in primary schools, making it one of the few African nations to have had literacy in local languages during the European colonial period.

French

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See also: African French
 
French Language in the DRC - Native and Official reports
 
Banner in French in Kinshasa

French is the official language of the country since its colonial period under Belgian rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with Belgian French. French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken in the capital of the country-Kinshasa, it belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the Francophonie, which includes many African countries. According to a 2018 OIF report, 42.5 million Congolese people (50.6% of the population) can read and write in French.[5][6] In the capital city Kinshasa, 67% of the population can read and write French, and 68.5% can speak and understand it.[7] The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently has the largest population of any country with French as its official language.[8]

According to a 2021 survey, French was the most spoken language in the country: a total of 74% of Congolese (79% of men, and 68% of women) reported using French as a language of communication.[9]

Additionally, French has become a native language among the middle and upper class in cities like Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. [10][11][12] French has been reported to be spoken natively by around 12% of the DRC, with just under 12 million speakers in large cities.[4][13][14]

Kikongo ya leta

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The constitution says Kikongo is one of the national languages, but in fact it is a Kikongo-based creole, Kituba (Kikongo ya Leta "Kikongo of the government", Leta being derived from French l'État "the State") that is used in the constitution and by the administration in the provinces of Bas-Congo (which is inhabited by the Bakongo), Kwango, and Kwilu. Kituba has become a vehicular language in many urban centres including Kikwit, Bandundu, Matadi, Boma and Muanda.[15][16][17][18]

Lingala

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Lingala is a language which gained its modern form in the colonial period, with the push of missionaries to standardize and teach a local lingua franca. It was originally spoken in the upper Congo river area but rapidly spread to the middle Congo area and eventually became the major Bantu language in Kinshasa.

Lingala was made the official language of the army under Mobutu, but since the rebellions, the army has also used Swahili in the east. With the transition period and the consolidation of different armed groups into the Congolese Army, the linguistic policy has returned to its previous form and Lingala is again the official language of the Army.

A 2021 survey found that Lingala was the second-most spoken language in the country, used by 59% of the population.

Swahili

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Menu in DR Congo in Swahili and French

Swahili is the most widespread lingua franca in East Africa.[19] In Congo, the local dialect of Swahili is known as Congo Swahili and differs considerably from Standard Swahili.[20] Many variations of Congo Swahili are spoken in the country but the major one is Kingwana, sometimes called Copperbelt Swahili, especially in the Katanga area.

Tshiluba

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The constitution does not specify which of the two major variations of Tshiluba is the national language. Luba-Kasai is spoken in the East Kasai Region (Luba people) and Luba-Lulua is used in the West Kasai Region among the Bena Lulua people. Luba-Kasai seems to be the language used by the administration. A related language, known as Luba-Katanga, is spoken in Katanga Province.

Other languages

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The most notable other languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are Mashi, Mongo, Lunda, Kilega, Tetela, Chokwe, Budza, Ngbandi, Lendu, Mangbetu, Yombe, Nande, Ngbaka, Zande, Lugbara, Kifuliiru and Komo. Considerable numbers of people in eastern Congo speak Kinyarwanda.

As of 2010 the government decided to include Portuguese as an optional language at schools as a response to Brazil's increasing influence on the continent, and of the growing and considerable Angolan and Mozambican immigrant communities.[21]

Among the various forms of slang spoken in the Congo, Indubil has been noted since around the 1960s[22] and continues to evolve today.[23]

Sign languages

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There are 12 deaf institutions in the country, and most teach French Sign Language or variations.[citation needed] American Sign Language is also practiced in the country.

Foreign languages

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Dutch

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Dutch, one of the languages of Belgium, was the historical second language of the Congo State from 1885 to 1908 and of the Belgian Congo from 1908 to 1960, and during this period its archives were bilingual French/Dutch. However, French was largely favored by the Belgian administration. A good knowledge of the French language was necessary to obtain a promotion in the colony and the Dutch-speakers were therefore more dispersed in the provinces while the French-speakers were grouped together in the cities.

Yet the vast majority of Catholic missionaries, priests and nuns sent to the Congo were Flemish. Speaking different Dutch dialects, the Flemings however preferred to teach in the indigenous languages of the Congo, unlike the French speakers who did not hesitate to teach their language. In 1954, in response to the demands of the Congolese themselves, the Belgian Minister of Education Auguste Buisseret adopted the principle of providing education in French in the Congo from the following year, a concession intended above all to calm the ardor independentists. The measure is however strongly opposed by the Flemish and Catholic right which advocates the continuation of education in local languages, and supported by the French-speaking and anticlerical left.

Dutch was not retained as one of the official languages in 1961, and its teaching was completely stopped in 1970. It was nevertheless still spoken by approximately 200,000 people in 1980. In February 2014, the embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands indicated that there were approximately 420,000 Dutch speakers of all ages in the DRC, spread throughout the territory, with very isolated groups. Dutch speakers are very scattered over the vastness of the Congolese territory. It is spoken by older people, but also by younger people, and the number of native speakers is unknown. Dutch speakers are most often perfectly bilingual French/Dutch, Dutch/Lingala, or Dutch/English. Due to its isolation from the Dutch spoken in Europe, it tends to have incorporated many French, English, or Lingala words.

English

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Former president Kabila grew up and studied in Tanzania; English is used by ministers and on certain official occasions. Moreover, English is the language most often used by UN soldiers in the DRC and, since the 1960s, by a large number of Congolese refugees who have returned to the country after having previously lived in neighbouring countries where English is widely spoken (Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, etc.).

References

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  1. ^ Languages of Democratic Republic of the Congo, ethnologue.com
  2. ^ "Accueil-Francoscope". ODSEF (Observatoire démographique et statistique de l'espace francophone de l'Université Laval) (in French). Laval, Québec. Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
  3. ^ Target study: French the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala
  4. ^ a b Lu, Marcus (August 31, 2024). "Mapped: Top 15 Countries by Native French Speakers".
  5. ^ Langue française dans le monde 2015-2018, Éditions Gallimard.
  6. ^ Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (2014). La langue française dans le monde 2014. Paris: Éditions Nathan. p. 17. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  7. ^ Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (2014). La langue française dans le monde 2014. Paris: Éditions Nathan. p. 30. ISBN 978-2-09-882654-0. Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  8. ^ "The Countries That Speak the Most French (Besides France)". Frenchly. 2020-05-15. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  9. ^ "Target Survey: French, the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala". 10 July 2021.
  10. ^ ""French and the school are one" – the role of French in postcolonial Congolese education: memories of pupils".
  11. ^ "SPECIAL FEATURE: DR Congo, home to a tenth of the world's languages".
  12. ^ "DR Congo's 'lost' languages". YouTube.
  13. ^ "French speaking countries". July 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "French speaking countries". July 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Salikoko S. Mufwene, Kituba, Kileta, or Kikongo? What's in a name?, University of Chicago, Dans: 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 (sous la direction de C. de Féral), Louvain-la-Neuve, Peeters, BCILL 124, 2009, p. 211-222
  16. ^ Foreign Service Institute (U.S.) and Lloyd Balderston Swift, Kituba; Basic Course, Department of State, 1963, p. 10
  17. ^ "Kikongo-Kituba". Britannica. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  18. ^ Jean-Claude Bruneau (2011). "Les nouvelles provinces de la République Démocratique du Congo : construction territoriale et ethnicités". L'Espace Politique (in French) (7). doi:10.4000/espacepolitique.1296.
  19. ^ "Development and Promotion of Extractive Industries and Mineral Value Addition". East African Community. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  20. ^ Okamura, Toru; Kai, Masumi (2020). Indigenous Language Acquisition, Maintenance, and Loss and Current Language Policies. IGI Global. p. 58. ISBN 9781799829614.
  21. ^ TSF. (July 4th). Português adoptado como língua opcional nas escolas da RD Congo, accessed on July 4, 2010
  22. ^ "Ghetto Blaster : Et la rumba congolaise rythma les indépendances". Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  23. ^ Georges Mulumbwa Mutambwa. "The spread of Indubil through DR Congo: context and modalities". Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.

Further reading

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