Ubangian Languages - Internal Classification

Internal Classification

Boyd and Moñino (2010) removed the Gbaya and Zande languages. The half dozen remaining branches are coherent, but their interrelationships are not straightforward. Williamson & Blench (2000) propose the following arrangement:

Ubangian

Banda

Ngbandi (Sango, with 2 million speakers total, is Ngbandi-based)

Sere–Mba

Sere

Ngbaka–Mba

	Ngbaka (note the principal Gbaya language is also called Ngbaka)

	Mba

In addition there is the Ngombe language, whose placement is uncertain due to a paucity of data.

Ethnologue 16 agrees with Williamson & Blench on the Sere–Mba node.

Note: The ambiguous name Ngbaka is used for various languages in the area. Generally, singular Ngbaka language refers to one of the main Gbaya languages, whereas plural Ngbaka languages refers to a branch of Ubangian.

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