Bila language

Bila
Bila
Forest Bira
Kango, Sua
Native to	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Region	Ituri forest
Ethnicity	Kango (Wochua?)
Native speakers	(40,000 cited 1998)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu (Zone D.20–30) Boan Bomokandian Biran Bila; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Dialects	Kango (1,000); Sua (1,000); Bombi-Ngbanja; Nyaku; Ibutu;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either:; bip – Bila; kzy – Kango–Sua
Guthrie code	D.211,311,313

Bila, or Forest Bira, is a Bantu language spoken by the Mbuti Pygmies called Kango and Sua (Batchua). The other Mbuti speak Central Sudanic languages. The Kango and Sua speak distinct dialects (southern and northern), but not enough to impair mutual intelligibility with their farming Bila patrons.

Maho (2009) lists Ibutu (Mbuttu, D.313) as a distinct language.

References

^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online

Serge BAHUCHET, 2006. "Languages of the African Rainforest « Pygmy » Hunter-Gatherers: Language Shifts without Cultural Admixture."[1] In Historical linguistics and hunter-gatherers populations in global perspective. Leipzig.

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[Guthrie-1] Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online

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