Languages of Angola
Encyclopedia
Using the data from the 1983 census of Angola, Portuguese
is both the official and predominant language, as it is spoken in the homes of about two-thirds of the population and as a second language
by many more throughout the country. Of the 60% Portuguese native speakers, half could speak only Portuguese, while the other half spoke a Bantu language as a second tongue. However, this source cannot be considered as reliable in this respect, as there was a political interest in boosting the number of native Portuguese speakers, and as many respondents overstated their mastery of Portuguese, for reasons of social status. In fact, the proportion of people who speak Portuguese as their sole language is considerably lower; according to current (2010) estimates, it is about one third.
According to the census referred to above, more than 50% of the Angola
ns speak Bantu languages
as their first languages, and a tiny minority Khoisan
languages, while some 15% speak them as second language. Here again the real figures are somewhat higher, although younger urban generations are moving towards the exclusive or largely dominant use of Portuguese. The most spoken Bantu languages are (by order of importance) Umbundu
, Kimbundu
, and Kikongo (all of these have many Portuguese-derived words). The Angolan Bakongo who have lived for a long time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
usually speak better French and Lingala than Portuguese and Kikongo. The few Cuba
ns who have remained in Angola as a consequence of the Cuban military involvement (or the development cooperation in education and health) speak Spanish
, but their descendants (almost all of them from mixed marriages) have not held on to it. Africans from Mali
, Nigeria
, and Senegal
speak English
, French
, and their native African languages, aside from Portuguese. A select number of Angolans of Lebanese descent speak Arabic
and/or French. The foreign language mostly learned by Angolans is English.
Angola is quite anomalous in Africa as a country where the colonial language has become a vernacular language and even largely displaced the indigenous languages. One reason for this might be that the colonisation of Angola started as early as in the late 15th century and ended in the 1970s, while most of Africa came under European rule during the 19th century and obtained independence in the 1950s and 1960s.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
is both the official and predominant language, as it is spoken in the homes of about two-thirds of the population and as a second language
Second language
A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
by many more throughout the country. Of the 60% Portuguese native speakers, half could speak only Portuguese, while the other half spoke a Bantu language as a second tongue. However, this source cannot be considered as reliable in this respect, as there was a political interest in boosting the number of native Portuguese speakers, and as many respondents overstated their mastery of Portuguese, for reasons of social status. In fact, the proportion of people who speak Portuguese as their sole language is considerably lower; according to current (2010) estimates, it is about one third.
According to the census referred to above, more than 50% of the Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
ns speak Bantu languages
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
as their first languages, and a tiny minority Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
languages, while some 15% speak them as second language. Here again the real figures are somewhat higher, although younger urban generations are moving towards the exclusive or largely dominant use of Portuguese. The most spoken Bantu languages are (by order of importance) Umbundu
Umbundu
South Mbundu, or Umbundu, is a language spoken by the Southern Mbundu people - now generally referred to by the way they call themselves, Ovimbundu - in the central highlands of Angola. Umbundu is the most widespread Bantu language in Angola. About one third of Angola is represented by Ovimbundu...
, Kimbundu
Kimbundu
North Mbundu, or Kimbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages in Angola, concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, the Bengo Province and the Malanje Province...
, and Kikongo (all of these have many Portuguese-derived words). The Angolan Bakongo who have lived for a long time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
usually speak better French and Lingala than Portuguese and Kikongo. The few Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
ns who have remained in Angola as a consequence of the Cuban military involvement (or the development cooperation in education and health) speak Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but their descendants (almost all of them from mixed marriages) have not held on to it. Africans from Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and their native African languages, aside from Portuguese. A select number of Angolans of Lebanese descent speak Arabic
Lebanese Arabic
Lebanese or Lebanese Arabic is a variety of Levantine Arabic, indigenous to and spoken primarily in Lebanon, with significant linguistic influences borrowed from other Middle Eastern and European languages, and is in some ways unique from other varieties of Arabic...
and/or French. The foreign language mostly learned by Angolans is English.
Angola is quite anomalous in Africa as a country where the colonial language has become a vernacular language and even largely displaced the indigenous languages. One reason for this might be that the colonisation of Angola started as early as in the late 15th century and ended in the 1970s, while most of Africa came under European rule during the 19th century and obtained independence in the 1950s and 1960s.