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Lingala

American  
[ling-gah-luh] / lɪŋˈgɑ lə /

noun

  1. a Bantu language used as a lingua franca in the N Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Lingala British  
/ ˌlɪŋˈɡɑːlə /

noun

  1. a Bantu language which is spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Angola

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mupepe, who is from Congo and speaks Lingala, said through a translator her primary concern is for her son to go back to school.

From Seattle Times

The majority of the new students speak Portuguese, Spanish, French and Lingala, the language of northwest Congo.

From Seattle Times

Moments into their cover, the men switch from English to Lingala — an inherently musical Central African language — and bring the house down, little aware that Parton recorded the original version 10 minutes away at RCA Studio B. She went on to release the album “Jolene” 50 years ago this month, days after the single of the same name had topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

From Los Angeles Times

A discussion ensued, “and immediately, when Chris started singing in Lingala, it felt good — it felt right,” explained Attwell.

From Los Angeles Times

People in the video, including a distressed woman who says her husband died in the attack, speak a mixture of Arabic and Lingala, the language spoken mainly in the west of DR Congo.

From BBC