CongoleseEnglish

Congolese English refers to varieties of English spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, where English is commonly learned as a second language and used in urban areas, education, business, media, and international communication. As a regional form of English, it lacks a single standardized form and shows considerable variation by region, speaker background, and educational circumstances. It typically coexists with French and local languages such as Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo, and Tshiluba, which influence pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax.

Phonology and syntax in Congolese English often reflect contact with local languages. Common tendencies reported in several varieties include reductions or substitutions of consonant clusters, less distinction in final consonants, and substitution of “th” with “t” or “d” in certain words. Vowel qualities may diverge from Standard British or American norms, yielding rhythms influenced by local phonologies. The lexicon shows heavy code-switching and loanwords from Lingala, Swahili, and French, including everyday terms and calques.

Congolese English is encountered in schools where English is taught as a foreign language, in business and media aimed at English-speaking audiences, and among Congolese expatriates. It coexists with Anglophone norms, with some speakers aligning more closely to British or American varieties depending on schooling and exposure. Ongoing sociolinguistic research documents its features and evolution, noting that Congolese English is dynamic and context-dependent, shaped by global English while retaining distinctive local characteristics.