The Mahongwe word manono, for example, means “I like” when spoken soft and flat, and “I don’t like” when the first syllable is a tad sharper in tone.

例如，马宏威语词汇manono，当用温和平缓的语调发音时，意思为“我喜欢”，而当第一个音节发音稍微尖锐时，意思却是“我不喜欢”。

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Manono is a particular linguistic oddity, since it uses only tone to differentiate an affirmative from a negative a phenomenon the ELA has since discovered applies to all verbs in Mahongwe.

ECONOMIST: Linguistics

His mission to find Manono, a 1950s model town built by a Belgian mining company in the rarely visited interior of eastern Congo, is illuminated as much by the detours as the destination.

ECONOMIST: Life in Congo: War and peace | The

On getting to Manono after a hazardous journey, free of the usual hyperbole that Congo travels inspire, Mr Rawlence discovers the ruin of a town that once triumphed over nature before becoming its prey.

ECONOMIST: Life in Congo: War and peace | The