Kilenge (Flenke): Foundational linguistic documentation of an endangered Bantu-substrate language of the Bongo Convince Palenge lineage, Jamaica

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Main Authors: Kumina Mosi Transnational Customary Polity, N'tole Kuefa, Joshmar Walford
Format: Recurso digital
Language:English
Published: Zenodo 2026
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author Kumina Mosi Transnational Customary Polity
N'tole Kuefa
Joshmar Walford
author_facet Kumina Mosi Transnational Customary Polity
N'tole Kuefa
Joshmar Walford
contents <p>KILENGE (autonym: KI-LENGE, "the language of the Lenge people") is the hereditary language of the Bongo Convince Palenge lineage of eastern Jamaica, preserved across approximately 370 years via hereditary-ceremonial oral transmission (c. 1655 to present). The grammatical architecture of Kilenge is primarily Bantu, derived from Kikongo and Kimbundu — the Central African languages of the lineage's founding ancestors. English vocabulary was adopted during the colonial period in Jamaica but did not displace the Bantu grammatical structure. Academic linguist Kenneth Bilby (1999) characterises the language as "an entirely new creole argot" in the primary scholarly characterisation. The language is assessed at EGIDS 8a (Moribund) and Severely Endangered under the UNESCO Language Vitality and Endangerment framework (CLT/2003/WS/4).</p> <p>This paper constitutes the first comprehensive written documentation of Kilenge, including: a 102-word Swadesh list with full Kikongo/Kimbundu etymological citations following Guthrie (1967) Comparative Bantu Stem numbers; a phonological inventory; morphological analysis following Leipzig Glossing Rules; syntactic description; and comparative analysis with Palenquero (San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia; Schwegler 2013) and Kilombo/Candomblé Angola traditions (Brazil; MacGaffey 1986), confirming a common pre-colonial Central African origin across three geographically dispersed communities with no post-seventeenth-century inter-community contact.</p> <p>Registry reference: IRTS-2026-MBG-0006. OAI-PMH endpoint: https://kmtcpirts.org/oai. RFC 3161 timestamp: 2026-05-23T16:11:07Z. Deposited under community FPIC consent per UNDRIP Article 31 and WIPO IGC TCE Text IGC/47/6 (2024).</p>
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spellingShingle Kilenge (Flenke): Foundational linguistic documentation of an endangered Bantu-substrate language of the Bongo Convince Palenge lineage, Jamaica
Kumina Mosi Transnational Customary Polity
N'tole Kuefa
Joshmar Walford
Kilenge
Flenke
Bongo Convince
Palenge
Bantu substrate
Kikongo
Kimbundu
endangered language
Jamaica
African diaspora languages
moribund language
language documentation
<p>KILENGE (autonym: KI-LENGE, "the language of the Lenge people") is the hereditary language of the Bongo Convince Palenge lineage of eastern Jamaica, preserved across approximately 370 years via hereditary-ceremonial oral transmission (c. 1655 to present). The grammatical architecture of Kilenge is primarily Bantu, derived from Kikongo and Kimbundu — the Central African languages of the lineage's founding ancestors. English vocabulary was adopted during the colonial period in Jamaica but did not displace the Bantu grammatical structure. Academic linguist Kenneth Bilby (1999) characterises the language as "an entirely new creole argot" in the primary scholarly characterisation. The language is assessed at EGIDS 8a (Moribund) and Severely Endangered under the UNESCO Language Vitality and Endangerment framework (CLT/2003/WS/4).</p> <p>This paper constitutes the first comprehensive written documentation of Kilenge, including: a 102-word Swadesh list with full Kikongo/Kimbundu etymological citations following Guthrie (1967) Comparative Bantu Stem numbers; a phonological inventory; morphological analysis following Leipzig Glossing Rules; syntactic description; and comparative analysis with Palenquero (San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia; Schwegler 2013) and Kilombo/Candomblé Angola traditions (Brazil; MacGaffey 1986), confirming a common pre-colonial Central African origin across three geographically dispersed communities with no post-seventeenth-century inter-community contact.</p> <p>Registry reference: IRTS-2026-MBG-0006. OAI-PMH endpoint: https://kmtcpirts.org/oai. RFC 3161 timestamp: 2026-05-23T16:11:07Z. Deposited under community FPIC consent per UNDRIP Article 31 and WIPO IGC TCE Text IGC/47/6 (2024).</p>
title Kilenge (Flenke): Foundational linguistic documentation of an endangered Bantu-substrate language of the Bongo Convince Palenge lineage, Jamaica
topic Kilenge
Flenke
Bongo Convince
Palenge
Bantu substrate
Kikongo
Kimbundu
endangered language
Jamaica
African diaspora languages
moribund language
language documentation
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20370328