# Bala language

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For the Tungusic language of China, see [Bala language (China)](/source/Bala_language_(China)).

**Bala** (*Lobala*) is a [Bantu language](/source/Bantu_language) of the [Democratic Republic of the Congo](/source/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo). According to Maho (2009), it includes **Boko** (*Iboko*).[1]

## Distribution and status

Bala is spoken in the northwest corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo west of the [Congo River](/source/Congo_River) by about 60,000 people. Most of these are not monolingual, but the language is being passed on to the next generation, especially in more remote areas. *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* classifies the language as "vigorous", meaning that it is sustainable.[2]

There are four dialects of Bala: Likoka, Poko (*Iboko*), South Lobala, and Tanda.[2]

## Negation

Like many languages in the [Benue-Congo group](/source/Benue%E2%80%93Congo_languages), Bala forms negatives by adding an affix to the [verbal](/source/Verb) phrase. However, Bala is unusual in that it adds two affixes to form negatives. These are added as a prefix and a suffix to the [subject](/source/Subject_(grammar)) affix. For example,

- *ba-tub-aka* - They sang
- *te-ba-ik-aka tuba* - They did not sing

Here the *te* and the *ik* elements are the double affixes indicating negation, attached to the *ba* affix indicating third party plural. The *tub* element is the verb "to sing" and the *aka* affix indicates the [past tense](/source/Past_tense).[3]

- *moto me t-a-iká mo-phé ná baphalnágà ná ntóma* - The man didn't give him money or food

In a similar way the *t* and *iká* negation elements are affixed to the verbal affix element *a* (indicating third person singular).[4]

## References

1. Guthrie

1. Lobala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)

1. Bernd Heine, Derek Nurse, *African Languages: An Introduction*, p. 206, Cambridge University Press, 2000 ISBN 0521666295.

1. Lindsay J. Whaley, *Introduction to Typology: The Unity and Diversity of Language*, p. 4, SAGE Publications, 1996 ISBN 1506317855.

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