French in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Linguistic Contacts and Variability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52575/2712-7451-2025-44-4-785-793Keywords:
French in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sociolinguistic differentiation, phonetic changes, grammatical changes, lexical changesAbstract
Although the Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest French-speaking country on the planet, the variety of French used in the DRC, which developed as a result of linguistic contacts between European colonists (Belgians, French) and the indigenous languages of West Africa, remains largely unexplored. The DRC French was melted from a variety of dialects and sociolects (primarily Belgian and occasionally French) heavily influenced by the indigenous languages of the Congo basin. The objective of this paper is to specify phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary of Congolese French. It is shown that phonetically, the Congolese variety of French exploits overall vowel and consonant assimilation, as well as their replacement by similar sounds typical for the indigenous sound patterns of West Africa rather than the European varieties of French. From a grammatical perspective, Congolese French is characterized by a simplification of negative forms and a lack of inversion in interrogative sentences, which is contrary to the literary norm. Lexical and semantic changes in Congolese French are primarily associated with lexical and semantic expansion, contraction, or shift. The indigenous languages of West Africa tend to interfere with French at all linguistic strata. Along with the low educational level of the Congolese majority, this interference causes considerable phonetic, grammatical, and lexical transformations of the language. Another important factor is English that increasingly influences the Congolese version of French.
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