Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Babole, Southern Bomitaba
CLASSIFICATION		Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Benue-Congo, Southern Bantoid
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		bvx
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Northern Dibole Central Dibole Southern Dibole
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (4)

Information from: “Endangered Languages in Central Africa” (163-178) . Bruce Connell (2007) , Matthias Brenzinger · Mouton de Gruyter

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,000-4,000
Native speakers worldwide

SPEAKER ATTITUDE: Positive
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Lingala is not typically used in the Babole region among Babole, who maintain a high degree of pride in their own language."

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
4,062
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1988-1989

DOMAINS OF USE

MORE ON VITALITY

"In the home, people used almost exclusively their patois [sic]. In the village, the patois was again used almost exclusively (95–97 percent), except in two domains: 1) village or party meetings, where Lingala, the national language, was preferred (69 percent), especially when nonvillagers were present, and 2) church, where all but one person said they used Lingala, since the Bible and other religious literature is available in Lingala (or French), but not in the patois."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

French
Lingala

PLACES: Congo

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The district of Epena is located in the Likouala Region, in the northwestern part of the People’s Republic of Congo... The fourteen villages south of Itanga [town in Epena district] are the homeland of the Babole (also called Ngele,‘downriver’). In 1984, these villages had a total population of 4062."

Vulnerable

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~4000
Native speakers worldwide

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

" ... Babole people in their own villages rarely speak anything but the Babole language."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

French
Lingala

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"French and Lingala are considered appropriate only for communicating with non-Babole ..."

PLACES: 14 villages along the Likouala-Aux-Herbes river system, Epena District, Likouala Region, Republic of Congo

	1990	Language use in the Epena district of Northern Congo						SIL International		http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9226	William L. Gardner	William L. Gardner. 1990. "Language Use in the Epena District of Northern Congo." SIL International. Online: http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9226.	4,062	1988-1989	1000-9999	School, church	French, Lingala				Threatened (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		"In the home, people used almost exclusively their patois [sic]. In the village, the patois was again used almost exclusively (95–97 percent), except in two domains: 1) village or party meetings, where Lingala, the national language, was preferred (69 percent), especially when nonvillagers were present, and 2) church, where all but one person said they used Lingala, since the Bible and other religious literature is available in Lingala (or French), but not in the patois."	12	Congo	"The district of Epena is located in the Likouala Region, in the northwestern part of the People’s Republic of Congo... The fourteen villages south of Itanga [town in Epena district] are the homeland of the Babole (also called Ngele,‘downriver’). In 1984, these villages had a total population of 4062."
9783110170498	2007	Endangered Languages in Central Africa	Language Diversity Endangered	163-178	Matthias Brenzinger	Mouton de Gruyter	Berlin				Bruce Connell	Bruce Connell. 2007. "Endangered Languages in Central Africa." In Language Diversity Endangered, edited by Matthias Brenzinger. 163-178. Mouton de Gruyter.	3,000-4,000		1000-9999		Lingala	Positive	"Lingala is not typically used in the Babole region among Babole, who maintain a high degree of pride in their own language."	All	Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
0199255911	2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press	New York					2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.															1.08333333333,17.25
	2003	Babole	The Bantu Languages	392-421	Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard		London		21		Leitch, Myles		~4000		1000-9999		French, Lingala		"French and Lingala are considered appropriate only for communicating with non-Babole ..."		Vulnerable (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	" ... Babole people in their own villages rarely speak anything but the Babole language."		14 villages along the Likouala-Aux-Herbes river system, Epena District, Likouala Region, Republic of Congo

Dibole

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000-4,000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,062

Vulnerable

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~4000

Discussion

Dibole

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000-4,000

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,062

Vulnerable

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~4000

Discussion

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Sources of information

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