Lese language

Lese is a Central Sudanic language of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as a name for the people who speak this language. The Lese people live in association with the Efé Pygmies and share their language, which is occasionally known as Lissi or Efe.

Lese
Efé
Native to	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Region	Ituri forest
Ethnicity	Lese, Efe people
Native speakers	(70,000 cited 1991)[1]
Language family	Nilo-Saharan? Central Sudanic Eastern Mangbutu–Lese Lese
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: les – Lese efe – Efe
Glottolog	lese1243  Lese efee1239  Efe

Although Efe is given a separate ISO code, Bahuchet (2006) notes that it is not even a distinct dialect, though there is dialectical variation in the language of the Lese (Dese, Karo).^[2]

Lese is spoken in Mambasa Territory, Watsa Territory, and Irumu Territory.^[3]

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Labial– velar	Labial- uvular	Glottal
Plosive	voiceless	p	t	ʈ		k	k͡p	q͡ɓ	ʔ
	voiced	b	d			ɡ	ɡ͡b
	implosive	ɓ	ɗ				ɠ͡ɓ
Fricative	voiceless	f	s						h
	voiced	v
Affricate	voiceless	p͡f			t͡ʃ
	voiced	b͡v			d͡ʒ
Nasal		m	n
Lateral			l
Rhotic			r
Approximant					j		w

• [q͡p] is an allophone of [q͡ɓ].^[4] In the Demolin 1999, the meaning of /q͡ɓ/ is unclear, but /q͡ɓ/ seems to be a voiceless labial–uvular stop with significant lowering and a strong release. More research is needed to determine the true nature of this sound.^[5]
• /r/ can also be heard as a tap sound [ɾ].^[6]

Vowels

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

• In rare cases, /ɛ/ can be heard in phonological opposition as a rounded [œ].^[7]