Lingala - English Dictionary-gctid84808

[Mani Kongo]

ENGLISH–LINGALA LINGALA-ENGLISH DICTIONARY

FIRST EDITION, REVISED

Edited by
Felix Divuilu

Congolese Voluntary Organisation

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INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this phrasebook is to acquaint visitors, or indeed anyone, with some of the more common words and phrases.
There is also a brief description of Lingala grammar enabling the reader to expand on the phrases given by substituting nouns, adjectives, etc. different words are made by adding prefixes and suffixes to the basic stem. The notes on grammar will give you a better understanding of the structure of words. The guide to pronunciation will also assist you to improve your spoken Lingala.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Lingala, the national language of the Congo and Zaire, belongs to the Bantu family of Languages. The dialect which is believe to be the basis of present Lingala is Bobangi.. this one is spoken by the riverside residents (Bangala) all along the Congo ( Zaire) River and Ubangi River between Makanza and Mbandaka in the region of Equator, Zaire.
The first eureurasiaans to arrive in the region commenced to learn the Bobangi language. Bobangi would then be transformed, enriched, with the contribution of other Congolese and Zairean dialects to create a new language, Lingala. Before the arrival of eureurasiaans,
the active trade carried out all along the Congo ( Zaire)
River allowed multiple contacts
and exchanges among the populations,
and the language spoken was Bobangi.
After the arrival of eureurasiaans ( in the late nineteenth century), Bobangi served as the language of communication between traders, travelrs, soldiers, civil servant and missionaries.
In 1929, Kinshasa ( ex Leopoldville) became the capital of Zaire ( ex Congo). Then Lingala became the lan- guage of the armed forces, police, administrators, evangelists, education, politics, media, etc.
Lingala continued to expand and it has found its origin in a mixture of diverse Congolese and Zairean languages, Swahili, French, English, etc. Zairean-Congolese modern music and culture are the language of communication in the Congo and Zaire.
Internationally, Lingala is used in several foreign broadcastings and is the subject of intense research in the Congo, Zaire as well as abroad. It is essential that missionaries in this part of the world know Lingala.

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