Ngombe language

Not to be confused with Ngombe language (Central African Republic).

Ngombe, or Lingombe, is a Bantu language spoken by about 150,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In general, native speakers live on either side of the Congo River, and its many tributaries; more specifically, Équateur Province, Mongala District and in areas neighboring it (Sud Ubangi and Équateur districts). Ngombe is written in Latin script.^[3]

Ngombe
Lingombe
Native to	DR Congo
Native speakers	(150,000 cited 1971)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu (Zone C.40) Buja–Ngombe Ngombe
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ngc
Glottolog	ngom1268
Guthrie code	C.41[2]

The tradition for a woman's first birth supports the child's survival. The husband is sent home for up to a year - younger sisters carry the baby and a stool for the mother. The mother visits family members and eats a lot.

The deities of the Ngombe include the supreme creator Akongo and the ancestor goddess Mbokomu.^[4]

Ngombe includes several dialects in addition to Ngombe proper (Ŋgɔmbɛ). These are Wiindza-Baali, Doko (Dɔkɔ), and Binja (also rendered Binza, Libindja, or Libinja). The latter is not the same as the Binja/Binza language. Binja dialect is primarily spoken in Orientale Province and Aketi Territory, and shares about three-quarters of its linguistic characteristics with standard Ngombe.^[3] Maho (2009) lists Doko as a distinct language in a separate group.