Ciluba

Ciluba, also known as Tshiluba, is a Bantu language spoken by the Luba people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, principally in the Katanga region and nearby provinces. It is one of the four national languages of the DRC and is used in regional administration, education, radio, and print media. The language has millions of speakers, with the majority native to Katanga and surrounding areas, as well as communities in urban centers and the diaspora.

Classification and varieties: Ciluba belongs to the Niger-Congo language family, within the Bantu branch, and is part of the Luba–Katanga subgroup. It comprises regional varieties and dialects, which are largely mutually intelligible.

Orthography and writing: Ciluba is written with a Latin-based alphabet. A standardized orthography is taught in schools and used in official communications, with conventions for consonants, vowels, and affixes.

Grammar and syntax: Like other Bantu languages, Ciluba features a noun-class system with prefixes that mark grammatical class and trigger concord on verbs, adjectives, and pronouns. The basic sentence order is commonly described as subject–verb–object, though word order can vary to reflect emphasis or discourse structure.

Status and use: As a national language, Ciluba is used in local government and public life within its speech area, and is employed in media and education to varying extents. French remains the official language of national administration in the DRC, while Tshiluba serves regional, cultural, and practical roles for many speakers.