Kinyamulenge
/ˌkɪn.jə.məˈlɛŋ.ɡeɪ/noun
A Bantu language variety associated with the Banyamulenge community of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Did you know?Kinyamulenge is commonly described as closely related to Kinyarwanda, but its classification and identity are politically sensitive because language labels in the Great Lakes region can carry ethnic and historical consequences.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ki-
“Noun-class prefix associated with languages, instruments, or things”
Early Bantu
Bantu
ki- + ethnonym or place name
“A formation meaning the language or speech associated with a people or place”
Precolonial period
Great Lakes Bantu
Mulenge
“A geographic name in the South Kivu region; the deeper etymology of the place name is uncertain”
20th Century
Kinyamulenge
Kinyamulenge
“A name formed with ki-/kinya- and Mulenge, referring to the language associated with the Banyamulenge”
Modern English
English
Kinyamulenge
“The name of the language variety and, in some contexts, a marker of Banyamulenge cultural identity”
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