The Zande languages are half a dozen closely related languages of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, the most widely spoken of which, Zande proper, has over one million speakers. Zande is traditionally grouped with the Ubangian languages, but this placement is disputed; a 2010 study by Yves Monino proposes excluding it from that classification, and it remains unclear whether Zande belongs to the Niger-Congo family at all, or where within it the family would fall.
Facts
RegionCentral African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. 1 Proto-Language StatusNo Proto-Zande reconstruction has been published; the family's wider affiliation is unsettled, traditionally grouped among the Ubangian languages though Moñino (2010) does not include it there, and its position within Niger-Congo, if any, remains unclear. 1 Partially Attested
Speaker CountA family-wide total is not published in one source; this is the count for Zande proper alone, the family's most populous member, per the cited source. Connections
Associated With
Ubangian, Language Families Why this is disputed. Zande is traditionally included among the Ubangian languages, but Moñino (2010) does not group it there, and its wider Niger-Congo affiliation is unclear.
Source Wikipedia: Zande Languages
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Zande Languages
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph
The most populous language is Zande proper, with over a million speakers.
Classification section
Zande is traditionally included among the Ubangian languages, although Moñino (2010) does not group it within Ubangian.
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