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There are several languages in the world with the name “Mono”. The language
which is the subject of the present study is given the code [MNH] in the Ethnologue
(Grimes 1996). Other languages bearing the name “Mono” include an Adamawan
language found in the North Province of Cameroon [MRU], a nearly extinct Uto-Aztecan
language found in east central California [MON], and an Austronesian language found in
the Solomon Islands [MTE].
The Mono people recognize that they are a part of a larger ethno-linguistic unit
called Banda. The Banda languages are found predominantly in the eastern half of CAR
and in northwestern D. R. Congo. In addition, a small number are found in southwestern
Sudan (cf. Cloarec-Heiss 1988).
In this introductory chapter, I discuss background information for understanding
the Mono linguistic situation. This includes the demography and geography of the group
in Section 1.1, the genetic affiliation of the language as presently understood in Section
1.2, ethnographic information including what we know about the history of the group in
Section 1.3, the sociolinguistic situation in Section 1.4, dialectal variation in Section 1.5,
and previous research on the language in Section 1.6. Finally, in Section 1.7, I discuss the
scope and methodology of the study, and provide a chapter outline of the dissertation.
1.1 Demography and geography
Mono is spoken in five distinct regions of northwestern D. R. Congo. The Mono
people identify these five regions as each having a distinct dialect: Bili, Bubanda, Mpaka,
Galaba, and Kaga. The first two regions are in the Bosobolo Zone, whereas the last three
are in the Libenge zone. These regions are stretched out like beads on a string in an arc
starting just across the Ubangi River from Kouango, CAR, and proceeding south and then
west ending once again near the Ubangi River immediately to the south of Zongo (Fultz
& Morgan 1986).
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