Binji language

Last updated
Binji
Native to Democratic Republic of the Congo
Native speakers
170,000 (2000) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 bpj
Glottolog binj1249
L.231 [2]

Binji is a Bantu language of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Maho (2009) states that it is close to Songe, which is otherwise isolated within the Luban languages established by Ahmed (1995). [3]

In the literature it has been confused with Mbagani, which goes by the same name. For instance, Guthrie assigned code L.22 "Binji" to what Maho labels Mbagani; in Maho, true Binji is L.231. The two languages are separated by 200 km.

Related Research Articles

Runyakitara is a standardized language based on four closely related languages of western Uganda:

Songe, also known as Songye, Kisonge, Lusonge, Yembe, and Northeast Luba, is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mijikenda is a Bantu dialect cluster spoken along the coast of East Africa, mostly in Kenya, where there are 1.9 million speakers but also in Tanzania, where there are 100,000 speakers. The name Mijikenda means "the nine settlements" or "the nine communities" and refers to the multiple language communities that make up the group. An older, derogatory term for the group is Nyika which refers to the "dry and bushy country" along the coast.

Nzime (Koonzime) is a Bantu language of Cameroon, spoken by the Nzime and Dwe'e (Bajwe'e) people. Maho (2009) lists these as two languages.

Eton, or Ìtón, is a Bantu language spoken by the Eton people of Cameroon.

The Luban languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken by the Lubas in the south of DRC Congo, established by Christine Ahmed (1995). They constitute half of Guthrie's Zone L. The languages, or clusters, along with their Guthrie identifications, are:

Yans (Yanzi) is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Bayanzi.

The Nen language, Tunen (Banen), is a Bantu language of Cameroon. Maho (2009) considers Aling'a to be a distinct language. Unlike all other Bantu languages, Nen has an SOV word order rather than the standard Bantu SVO word order.

Samia (Saamia) is a Bantu language spoken by the Luhya people of Uganda and Kenya. Ethnologue includes Songa as a dialect, but it may be a separate language.

Budza or Buja is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kuvale is a Southern Bantu language spoken in Angola, in the middle of a large Umbundu-speaking area. It has traditionally been considered a dialect of Herero; however, Maho (2009) has moved it from Bantu Zone R.30 to Zone R.10, which includes Umbundu and a few smaller languages. Ngendelengo may be a distinct language.

Lwalu, also known as Lwalwa, is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its classification is uncertain: Nurse (2003), following Ahmed (1995), assigns all of Guthrie's L.20 languages to Luban, including Lwalu.

Luna is a Bantu language of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Assigned by Guthrie to a group called Songe (L.20), it is presumably one of the Luban languages established by Ahmed (1995), like most of the other Songe languages, though it was not specifically addressed. Ruhlen (1987) agrees in placing it with the Luban languages.

Simaa is a Bantu language of Zambia. It was assigned by Guthrie to Bantu group K.30, which Pfouts (2003) established as part of the Kavango–Southwest branch of Bantu. Though not specifically addressed, Simaa may be in that family as well.

Bomitaba (Mbomitaba) is a Bantu language of the Republic of Congo, with a couple hundred speakers in the Central African Republic.

Central Yambasa or Nuasua (Nuaswa) is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon.

Shinji (Sinji), or Yungo, is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between Mbangala and Yaka.

Shanjo (Sanjo) is a Bantu language of Zambia. Maho (2009) lists it as distinct from Tonga, which it has sometimes been classified as a dialect of.

Viya is a minor Bantu language of Gabon. A collection of proverbs in their language has been published, with French translations. Also, a bilingual dictionary has been compiled.

Doko is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ethnologue 16 classifies it as a dialect of Ngombe language, while Maho (2009) lists it as a separate, though perhaps unclassified, language.

References

  1. Binji at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. Nurse & Phillipson 2003