Most Kongolese speak Kikongo, a continuum of closely related dialects. Within the Kingdom, most speak southern and eastern varieties of Kikongo, principally including the main dialects of Kisikongo, Kisolongo, Kizombo, and Kiṭandu.
Dialect/language
Classification
Geographic reach
Kisikongo
Southern Kikongo
West of the Inkisi river and in metropolitan areas
Kisolongo
Soyo province and northern Mbamba
Kizombo
East of the Inkisi river
Kiṭandu
Eastern Kikongo
Eastern Ṣundi, Mpundu, and Ocango
The official language of the Kongo is Kisikongo (colloquially known as Sansala), a Kikongo dialect spoken in Mpemba province. Kisikongo and its ancestor have functioned as the court language of the Kingdom since at least the 15th century.
Orthography
The present Mputu orthography system for Kikongo was created in the 1920s, inspired by a mass movement in African nations (particularly Manden) to reform their Latin orthographies. It was recognized by the Kingdom of Kongo in 1939 and became official in 1957.
IPA
Letter
IPA
Letter
IPA
Letter
m
m
n
n
ŋ
ng
ᵐp
mp
ⁿt
ṭ
ᵑk
nq, nk, nc
ᵐb
mb
ⁿd
ḍ
k
q, k, c
p
p
t
t
g
g
b
b
d
d
j
y, i
ᶬf
mf
ⁿs
ṣ
i
i
ᶬv
mv
ⁿz
ẓ
u
u
f
f
s
s
e
e
v
v
z
z, s
o
o
w
u
l
l
a
a
In order to clarify pronunciation, /buːi/ is often transcribed as bu'i with an apostrophe, while /bwi/ is transcribed as bui, without one.
/w/ at the start of a word followed by a vowel is transcribed as o, as in Oembo (/wembo/).
In the Kisolongo and Kizombo dialects, the sound /v/ is often pronounced /β/ and may be written as bh.
In Portuguese and Spanish sources, k may be spelled qu, reflecting old Castilian orthography.
Comparison of Capuchin (1652) and Mputu (1957) orthographies