Budza language

Budza or Buja (Embudja, Limbudza) is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Budza
Buja
Native to	DR Congo
Native speakers	(230,000 cited 1985 census)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu (Zone C.40) Buja–Ngombe Budza
Dialects	Budza Tembo Kunda Gbuta Babale
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: bja – Budza tmv – Tembo
Glottolog	budj1234  Bujaic temb1272  Motembo-Kunda
Guthrie code	C.37[2]

There are several neighbouring minor languages which Maho (2009) lists as closely related: C371 Tembo (Motembo or Litembo – distinguish Kitembo), C372 Kunda (Likunda – distinguish Chikunda), C373 Gbuta (Egbuta) and C374 Babale. Only Litembo, with 5,000 speakers, has been assigned an ISO code; Glottolog treats it and Likunda as a single language.

Phonology

Consonants^[3]

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labiovelar	Glottal
Plosive	p b	t d	tʃ dʒ	k g	kp gb
Prenasalized	ᵐb	ⁿd	ⁿdʒ	ᵑg	ᵑgb
Fricative		s				h
Nasal	m	n
Approximant	w	l	j

Vowels^[3]

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid-high	e		o
Mid-low	ɛ		ɔ
Low		a

Budza distinguishes between high tone and low tone.^[3]