Congolese

English

Etymology

From French congolais, equivalent to Congo +‎ -ese. For information about the -l-, see Togolese.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒŋ.ɡəˈliːz/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -iːz

Noun

Congolese (plural Congolese)

1. A person from the Congo or any Congolese state.
   • 2002, Nwachukwu Frank Ukadike, Questioning African Cinema: Conversations With Filmmakers, U of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, page 134:

     The first feature film ever made in Congo by a Congolese was Le hasard n'existe pas (There is no such thing as luck, 1977), by Madenda and Luzolo, and it was filmed in 16mm and in black and white.

   1. A person from the Republic of the Congo.
   2. A person from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire).

Usage notes

• As with other terms for people formed with -ese, the countable singular noun in reference to a person (as in "I am a Congolese", "writing about Congolese cuisine as a Congolese") is uncommon and often taken as incorrect. In its place, the adjective is used, by itself (as in "I am Congolese") or with a word like person, man, or woman ("writing about Congolese cuisine as a Congolese person").
• The term Congolese on its own is not strictly a nationality since it refers to two different nations, and it is therefore a regional or supranational word, like Dominican or Scandinavian. There is no simple modifier which can be added to the word to define which nation is meant. Sometimes the nation's acronym (ROC or DRC) is added before or after 'Congolese', as in 'DRC Congolese' or 'Congolese (DRC)', sometimes the names of the capitals are added:

Three of them were DRC Congolese and the other two were ROC Congolese

Three of them were (Kinshasa) Congolese and the other two were (Brazzaville) Congolese.

Hypernyms

• sub-Saharan, African

Translations

Adjective

Congolese (not comparable)

1. Of, from, or pertaining to the Congo or any Congolese state.
   • 2012, Phillip Jones, Mariners, Merchants And The Military Too, →ISBN:

     Where there were disagreements between the Portuguese and Congolese authorities with regard to the trading in African slaves, these tended to be about numbers, rather than the trade in human beings itself. According to some sources, the Congolese monarch publicly expressed his concerns to the Portuguese representatives that some European traders were enslaving all African citizens,

   1. Of, from, or pertaining to the Republic of Congo or its people.
   2. Of, from, or pertaining to the Democratic Republic of Congo or its people.

Coordinate terms

• (Kinshasa): Zairean (historical)
• Congolian

Translations