Central Banda language

Central Banda is a dialect continuum of the Banda languages spoken by around one million people, primarily in the Central African Republic. The varieties may be mutually intelligible, especially the Mid-SouthernÃ¢ÂÂGobuÃ¢ÂÂKpaguaÃ¢ÂÂMonoÃ¢ÂÂNgundu cluster. The other varieties are Bambari, Banda-Banda, MbrÃÂ¨s, NdÃÂ©lÃÂ©, and Togbo-Vara Banda.

Phonology

The following is the Banda-Tangbago dialect:

Consonants

Vowels

Tone

Vowel tones are: rising /ÃÂ/, falling /ÃÂ¢/, mid /ÃÂ/, low /ÃÂ /, and high /ÃÂ¡/.

Varieties

Central Banda language varieties listed by MoÃÂ±ino (1988):

YakpÃÂ (also in DR Congo); GubÃÂº (also in DR Congo); KpÃÂ¡gÃÂ¹ÃÂ (also in DR Congo); NgÃÂ¹ndÃÂ¹, BÃÂ²ngÃÂ², WasÃÂ¡ (also in South Sudan); DÃÂ¹kpÃÂ¹ (also in South Sudan) Further information:Dukpu people
LÃÂ¬ndÃÂ¡, JÃÂ²tÃÂ², NdÃÂ²kpÃÂ , NgÃÂ¡pÃÂ³
Southern GbÃÂ gÃÂ , NbÃÂ¬yÃÂ¬, BÃÂ¨rÃÂ¨yÃÂ , NgÃÂ²lÃÂ , Ndi, KÃÂ¢, Gbambiya, HÃÂ ÃÂ¬, GalabÃÂ², VÃÂdÃÂ¬rÃÂ¬ (MvÃÂ©dÃÂ¨rÃÂ¨) (also in South Sudan), BÃÂ ndÃÂ -BÃÂ ndÃÂ , BurÃÂº (only in South Sudan), WÃÂ¹ndÃÂ¹ (only in South Sudan), GÃÂ²vÃÂÃÂ²rÃÂ² (only in South Sudan)
BÃÂ ndÃÂ -Ndele (Govo, NgÃÂ jÃÂ , GbÃÂ²ngÃÂ³, MbÃÂ tÃÂ¡, GbÃÂ yÃÂ , Tulu, and DabÃÂ¹rÃÂ¹ groups), BÃÂ ndÃÂ -Kpaya (only in South Sudan), NgÃÂ ÃÂ², NgbalÃÂ¡, TÃÂ ngbÃÂ gÃÂ² (also in South Sudan), JÃÂºnguru (also in South Sudan)
Mbere, BÃÂºkÃÂ , MÃÂ²rÃÂ¹bÃÂ , SÃÂ bÃÂ¡ngÃÂ , WÃÂ¡dÃÂ (also in South Sudan)
VÃÂ rÃÂ (also in South Sudan), TÃÂ²gbÃÂ² (also in South Sudan)
YÃÂ ngere

Nougayrol (1989) also lists KÃÂÃÂnÃÂÃÂ, Manja, NdÃÂ²kÃÂ , NjÃÂ¹lÃÂºgÃÂ¹, and SÃÂ ra DÃÂ¬njo.

Demographics

Demographics of Central Banda language varieties as synthesized from MoÃÂ±ino (1988) and Nougayrol (1989):

References