Bila language

Bila, or Forest Bira, is a Bantu language spoken in the Mambasa Territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is also spoken by the Mbuti Pygmies who live in that area. Pygmy groups to the west include the Kango and Sua (Batchua).[6] Other Mbuti speak Central Sudanic languages. The Kango and Sua speak distinct dialects (southern and northern), but not enough to impair mutual intelligibility with their farming Bila patrons.

Not to be confused with Bira language, Bali language (DRC), Sua language, Kango language (Bas-Uélé District), or Bila' language.

Bila
Forest Bira
Kango, Sua
Native to	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Region	Ituri forest
Ethnicity	Kango (Wochua?)
Native speakers	(40,000 cited 1993–1998)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu (Zone D.20–30) Boan Bomokandian Biran Bila
Dialects	Kango (1,000) Sua (1,000) Bombi-Ngbanja Nyaku Ibutu
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: bip – Bila kzy – Kango–Sua
Glottolog	bila1255  Bila[2] kang1285  Kango[3] belu1239  Belueli[4]
Guthrie code	D.211,311,313[5]

Maho (2009) lists Ibutu (Mbuttu, D.313) as a distinct language.

Phonology

Consonants

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labio- velar	Glottal
Plosive	plain	p	t		k
	implosive	ɓ	ɗ
	prenasal	ᵐb	ⁿd		ᵑɡ
Fricative		ɸ	s				h
Affricate	plain			t͡ʃ		k͡p
	prenasal			ᶮd͡ʒ		ᵑᵐɡ͡b
Lateral			l
Nasal		m	n	ɲ
Approximant				j		w

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
	ɪ		ʊ
Close-mid	e		o
Open-mid	ɛ		ɔ
Open		a

References

1. Bila at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
   Kango–Sua at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Bila". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Kango (Tshopo District)". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
4. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Belueli". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
5. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
6. L'Apare est un ruisseau, affluent de l'Ituri en région des Bantous Babali. La route qui relie Bafwasende à Bomili traverse le village, où réside ce groupe de Pygmées devenus sédentaires. Dans la documentation de l'expédition de 1929 et de 1935, ils étaient désignés sous le nom de Basua [page] Babali aux Bango wa mugwase (ou Pygmées de forêt). Après l'expédition de 1949–50, l'auteur préfère substituer à ces deux appellations, données par les Babali, leurs propres noms : les Pygmées de forêt désignent ceux de village du nom de Balioli (=Belueli) (sing. Dioy) et vice-versa ceux-ci désignent les Pygmées de forêt du nom de Bango (sing. Mwango).

• Serge BAHUCHET, 2006. "Languages of the African Rainforest « Pygmy » Hunter-Gatherers: Language Shifts without Cultural Admixture." In Historical linguistics and hunter-gatherers populations in global perspective. Leipzig.
• Kutsch Lojenga, Constance. 2003. Bila (D32). In Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard (eds.), The Bantu languages, 450-474. London & New York: Routledge.