Otetela
Tetela
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Tetela)
Tetela (Otetela) is a Bantu C71 language of central Democratic Republic of the Congo, native to the Sankuru and Tshuapa river basins of Kasai-Oriental and adjoining provinces. Famously the mother tongue of Patrice Lumumba (1925-1961), the DRC's first prime minister and a founding figure of African independence movements. The Tetela people are agriculturalists known for the elaborate "kasala" oral panegyric tradition. Standard reference is Hagendorens' Otetela-French dictionary (1956). Tonal with three contrastive heights.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tetela
Water
ashi
/aʃi/
Fire
lokombu
/lokombu/
Sun
ondelo
/ondelo/
Moon
ngondo
/ŋɡondo/
Star
ɔtɔtɔ
/ɔtɔtɔ/
Mother
nyango
/ɲaŋɡo/
Father
shi
/ʃi/
I
dimi
/dimi/
You
wɛ
/wɛ/
Name
lokombo
/lokombo/
Eye
diso
/diso/
Hand
lonya
/loɲa/
Heart
utema
/utema/
Love
langɔ
/laŋɡɔ/
Tree
etamba
/etamba/
House
mbongo
/mboŋɡo/
Dog
mbwa
/mbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Eat
kolya
/koʎa/
Drink
konwa
/konwa/
One
ɔtɔi
/ɔtɔi/
Two
hende
/hende/
Hello
nyongo
/ɲoŋɡo/
Thank you
toleko
/toleko/
Good
lɔlɔ
/lɔlɔ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Tetela) languages
| Meaning | Tetela | Mongo | Lingala | Nyamwezi | Luba-Kasai | Yao | Sena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ashi /aʃi/ | nzá /nzá/ | máí /mai/ | minzi /minzi/ | mâyi /maːji/ | mesi /mesi/ | madzi /madzi/ |
| Fire | lokombu /lokombu/ | mokɛ́ /mokɛ́/ | mɔ́tɔ /mɔtɔ/ | moto /moto/ | kapia /kapia/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | ondelo /ondelo/ | lokɔlɔ /lokɔlɔ/ | mói /moi/ | izuba /izuβa/ | dîba /diːba/ | lyuwa /ʎuwa/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ |
| Moon | ngondo /ŋɡondo/ | nzɔnzɔ /nzɔnzɔ/ | sánzá /sanza/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ | ngondo /ŋɡondo/ | mwesi /mwesi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ |
| Star | ɔtɔtɔ /ɔtɔtɔ/ | monzoto /monzoto/ | monzoto /monzɔtɔ/ | nyenyeezi /ɲeˈɲeːzi/ | mutoto /mutoto/ | ndondwa /ndondwa/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ |
| Mother | nyango /ɲaŋɡo/ | nyangó /ɲaŋɡó/ | mamá /mama/ | mayu /majʊ/ | mâmu /maːmu/ | amao /amaː/ | mai /mai/ |
| Father | shi /ʃi/ | ise /ise/ | tatá /tata/ | baba /baba/ | tâtu /taːtu/ | atati /atati/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | dimi /dimi/ | ngai /ŋɡai/ | ngai /ⁿɡai/ | nene /ˈnene/ | meme /meme/ | une /une/ | ine /ine/ |
| You | wɛ /wɛ/ | yɔ /jɔ/ | yo /jo/ | gwegwe /ˈɡweɡwe/ | wewe /wewe/ | mmwe /mːwe/ | iwe /iwe/ |
| Name | lokombo /lokombo/ | nkombo /nkombo/ | nkombo /ⁿkombo/ | lina /ˈlina/ | dîna /diːna/ | lina /lina/ | dzina /dzina/ |
| Eye | diso /diso/ | liso /liso/ | líso /liso/ | liso /liso/ | dîsu /diːsu/ | liso /liso/ | diso /diso/ |
| Hand | lonya /loɲa/ | lokáko /lokáko/ | lobɔ́kɔ /lobɔkɔ/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ | tshianza /tʃianza/ | ngaila /ŋɡaila/ | nkono /nkono/ |
| Heart | utema /utema/ | mongúma /moŋɡúma/ | motéma /motema/ | mtima /mtima/ | mucima /mutʃima/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Love | langɔ /laŋɡɔ/ | boláŋo /bolaŋo/ | bolíngo /boliŋɡo/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | dinanga /dinaŋɡa/ | chikondi /tʃikondi/ | kufuna /kufuna/ |
| Tree | etamba /etamba/ | boléi /boléi/ | nzété /nzete/ | mti /mti/ | mutshi /mutʃi/ | mtela /mtela/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ |
| House | mbongo /mboŋɡo/ | ndako /ndako/ | ndáko /ndako/ | kaya /kaja/ | nzubu /nzubu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwá /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | nyaú /ɲaú/ | nyáu /ɲau/ | paka /paka/ | nyao /ɲao/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kolya /koʎa/ | kolya /koʎa/ | kolía /kolia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kudia /kudia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kudya /kudja/ |
| Drink | konwa /konwa/ | kome'la /komela/ | komɛ́la /komɛla/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunua /kunua/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ |
| One | ɔtɔi /ɔtɔi/ | etomelá /etomelá/ | mɔ̌kɔ́ /mɔkɔ/ | imo /imo/ | umue /umue/ | mo /mo/ | posi /posi/ |
| Two | hende /hende/ | bafe /bafe/ | mibale /mibale/ | ibili /iβili/ | bibidi /bibidi/ | iŵili /iβili/ | piŵiri /piwiri/ |
| Hello | nyongo /ɲoŋɡo/ | losáko /losáko/ | mbóte /mbote/ | mwadita /mwadita/ | moyo /mojo/ | salama /salama/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ |
| Thank you | toleko /toleko/ | olɛli /olɛli/ | matɔ́ndɔ /matɔndɔ/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ | tuasakidila /tuasakidila/ | nakwete /nakwete/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ |
| Good | lɔlɔ /lɔlɔ/ | mpɔlɔ /mpɔlɔ/ | malámu /malamu/ | lihi /lihi/ | bimpe /bimpe/ | chechete /tʃetʃete/ | nadidi /nadidi/ |
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