FSI Lingala Basic Course

What is the FSI Lingala Basic Course?

This FSI Lingala course was first published in 1963 and aims to give students the kind of grounding in the language that is required for basic communication in the region where it is spoken.

The course consists of 24 units based on dialogs that present the new language followed by drills and exercises for practice. Each unit is accompanied by audio recordings that also allow you to work on your pronunciation.

How was FSI Lingala Basic originally used?

FSI Lingala was originally developed for US diplomatic staff who were preparing for postings in the Congo region. They took around six hours of classes per day, which was followed by a further two hours of personal study. In class, they spoke only Lingala, and even in their free time, they were encouraged to use the language among themselves.

In such conditions, they were able to acquire a basic mastery of the language in a relatively short amount of time.

How can you use FSI Lingala Basic?

Although you are unlikely to be able to recreate anything like the environment enjoyed by US diplomats, you can still use this free online Lingala course to help you acquire a good level of proficiency in the language.

Since there are few other materials available to study this language, you will probably be relying on this course as your primary source of language input.

By working through the dialogs and using the drills for practice, you will quickly be able to pick up the basics, especially if you can supplement your learning with any other resources you have available.

Taking it further

Of course, you won’t be able to master the language through this course alone, and as soon as possible, you should take your Lingala out into the “real world” and try it out.

If you can find Lingala speakers to practice with, you can make using Lingala a part of your daily life. In this way, you will soon realize how quickly your language skills are developing.