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
20 core words in Tetela
Water
ashi
/aʃi/
Fire
lokombu
/lokombu/
Sun
ondelo
/ondelo/
Moon
ngondo
/ŋɡondo/
Mother
nyema
/ɲema/
Father
shi
/ʃi/
Eat
kolya
/koʎa/
Drink
konwa
/konwa/
Love
langɔ
/laŋɡɔ/
Heart
utema
/utema/
Tree
etamba
/etamba/
House
mbongo
/mboŋɡo/
Dog
mbwa
/mbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
lonya
/loɲa/
Eye
diso
/diso/
Hello
nyongo
/ɲoŋɡo/
Thank you
toleko
/toleko/
One
ɔtɔi
/ɔtɔi/
Good
lɔlɔ
/lɔlɔ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Tetela) languages
| Meaning | Tetela | Nyamwezi | Mongo | Yao | Makonde | Sena | Lingala |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ashi /aʃi/ | minzi /minzi/ | nzá /nzá/ | mesi /mesi/ | mashi /maʃi/ | madzi /madzi/ | máí /mai/ |
| Fire | lokombu /lokombu/ | moto /moto/ | mokɛ́ /mokɛ́/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | mɔ́tɔ /mɔtɔ/ |
| Sun | ondelo /ondelo/ | izuba /izuβa/ | lokɔlɔ /lokɔlɔ/ | lyuwa /ʎuwa/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | mói /moi/ |
| Moon | ngondo /ŋɡondo/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ | nzɔnzɔ /nzɔnzɔ/ | mwesi /mwesi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | sánzá /sanza/ |
| Mother | nyema /ɲema/ | mayu /majʊ/ | nyangó /ɲaŋɡó/ | amao /amaː/ | mama /mama/ | mai /mai/ | mamá /mama/ |
| Father | shi /ʃi/ | baba /baba/ | ise /ise/ | atati /atati/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | tatá /tata/ |
| Eat | kolya /koʎa/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kolya /koʎa/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kudya /kudja/ | kolía /kolia/ |
| Drink | konwa /konwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kome'la /komela/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | komɛ́la /komɛla/ |
| Love | langɔ /laŋɡɔ/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | boláŋo /bolaŋo/ | chikondi /tʃikondi/ | kupenda /kupenda/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | bolíngo /boliŋɡo/ |
| Heart | utema /utema/ | mtima /mtima/ | mongúma /moŋɡúma/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ | motéma /motema/ |
| Tree | etamba /etamba/ | mti /mti/ | boléi /boléi/ | mtela /mtela/ | mti /mti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | nzété /nzete/ |
| House | mbongo /mboŋɡo/ | kaya /kaja/ | ndako /ndako/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | ndáko /ndako/ |
| Dog | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwá /mbwa/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | nyaú /ɲaú/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | nyáu /ɲau/ |
| Hand | lonya /loɲa/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ | lokáko /lokáko/ | ngaila /ŋɡaila/ | nkono /nkono/ | nkono /nkono/ | lobɔ́kɔ /lobɔkɔ/ |
| Eye | diso /diso/ | liso /liso/ | liso /liso/ | liso /liso/ | liso /liso/ | diso /diso/ | líso /liso/ |
| Hello | nyongo /ɲoŋɡo/ | mwadita /mwadita/ | losáko /losáko/ | salama /salama/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | mbóte /mbote/ |
| Thank you | toleko /toleko/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ | olɛli /olɛli/ | nakwete /nakwete/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | matɔ́ndɔ /matɔndɔ/ |
| One | ɔtɔi /ɔtɔi/ | imo /imo/ | etomelá /etomelá/ | mo /mo/ | nimo /nimo/ | posi /posi/ | mɔ̌kɔ́ /mɔkɔ/ |
| Good | lɔlɔ /lɔlɔ/ | lihi /lihi/ | mpɔlɔ /mpɔlɔ/ | chechete /tʃetʃete/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | malámu /malamu/ |
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