Language code: ln

Technical information about ISO 639 language code ln

The table below provides technical details for the Lingala language, designated by the ln code from the ISO 639-1 standard.

Code

ln

Name

Official

Lingala

Native

Lingála

Family
Bantu
Text direction

Left-to-Right

Language varieties
Standard (Literary) LingalaKinshasa (Spoken) LingalaBangalaKindu LingalaKisangani Lingala
Related languages
BobangiBangi-NtombaMongoKikongo
Key facts
Originated as a trade language along the Congo River in the late 19th centuryModern Lingala vocabulary contains many French loanwordsA Latin-based orthography was officially standardized in 1976Congolese rumba and soukous music have broadcast Lingala lyrics across Central AfricaPronoun system distinguishes between inclusive and exclusive forms of ‘we’.
Sample phrase

Mbote, ozali malamu?

Character encodings

UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32

Supported in Localizely

Lingala belongs to the Niger-Congo language family, specifically the Bantu subgroup. It is primarily spoken in parts of the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lingala is predominantly written using the Latin script. It is estimated that there are more than 20 million speakers worldwide.

Language presence globally

*The graph shows a rough estimate of Lingala speakers in countries where it is an official or minority language.

Related locale codes

ln-AO Lingala (Angola)

ln-CD Lingala (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

ln-CF Lingala (Central African Republic)

ln-CG Lingala (Congo)

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