247 km away
A Bantu language of the Kongo people, spoken across Angola, the DRC, and the Republic of the Congo. Carried abroad in the Atlantic slave trade and a major substrate in Caribbean and Brazilian creoles.
Lingala
A Bantu language used as a lingua franca across the western DRC and the Republic of the Congo, with Kinshasa as its largest urban centre. The language of much of Congolese popular music.
Shareable facts
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Lingala?
Lingala is a dialect of the Lingala language.
Where is Lingala spoken?
Lingala is primarily spoken in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo.
Which region is Lingala associated with?
Lingala is part of the West & Central Africa region on DialectAtlas.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →553 km away
The Portuguese of Angola, used as a national lingua franca alongside Bantu languages such as Kimbundu and Umbundu, which have shaped both pronunciation and vocabulary.
553 km away
A Bantu language of north-western Angola including the Luanda hinterland. Around 4 million speakers; a major substrate in Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary through the Atlantic slave trade.
807 km away
A Bantu language of the Kasai region in the southern DRC and one of the four national languages of the country. Around 6 million speakers.
842 km away
A Bantu language cluster of the central Congo basin, spoken across the Cuvette and Équateur provinces of the DRC. Around 6 million speakers across a wide dialect chain.
935 km away
A Bantu language and the most-spoken indigenous language of Angola, used across the central highlands around Huambo. Around 6 million speakers.