| Languages of Angola | |
|---|---|
 Protestors in Angola with signs in Portuguese | |
| Official | Portuguese |
| National | All recognized languages of Angola are "national languages" |
| Recognised | Chokwe,Kikongo,Kimbundu,Oshiwambo,Luchazi,Umbundu |
| Vernacular | Angolan Portuguese |
| Foreign | English,French,Arabic,Chinese |
| Signed | Namibian Sign Language[1] |
| Keyboard layout | |
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Portuguese is the official language ofAngola.[2] Over 46 other languages are spoken in the country, mostlyBantu languages.[3]
Portuguese is the soleofficial language. Due to cultural, social and political mechanisms which date back to the colonial history, the number of native Portuguese speakers is large and growing.[note 1] A 2012 study by the Angolan National Institute for Statistics found that Portuguese is the mother tongue of 39% of the population.[4][5] It is spoken as asecond language by many more throughout the country, and younger urban generations are moving towards the dominant or exclusive use of Portuguese. The 2014 population census found that about 71% of the nearly 25.8 million inhabitants of Angola speak Portuguese at home.[6][7][8][9]
In urban areas, 85% of the population declared to speak Portuguese at home in the 2014 census, against 49% in rural areas.[8] Portuguese was adopted by Angolans in the mid-twentieth century as alingua franca among the various ethnic groups. After theAngolan Civil War, many people moved to the cities where they learned Portuguese. When they returned to the countryside, more people were speaking Portuguese as a first language. The variant of the Portuguese language used in Angola is known asAngolan Portuguese. Phonetically, this variant is very similar to the Mozambican variant with some exceptions.[10][11] Some believe that Angolan Portuguese resembles a pidgin in some aspects.[12]
However, inCabinda, wedged between two French-speaking countries — theDRC and theCongo — many people speakFrench as well as, or better than, Portuguese. In fact, of the literate population, 90 percent speak French while 10 percent speak Portuguese.[13][better source needed] Also, the AngolanBakongo who were exiled in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo usually speak better French andLingala than Portuguese and Kikongo.[4]
All native languages of Angola are considered to benational languages. After independence, the government said it would choose six to be developed asliterary languages. The six languages vary between government pronouncements, but commonly included areUmbundu,Kimbundu,Kikongo (presumably the Fiote of Cabinda),Chokwe,Kwanyama (Ovambo), andMbunda (never clearly defined; may beNyemba,Luchazi, or indeterminate).[14][15] Angolan radio transmits in fourteen of the "main" national languages:Bangala ('Mbangala'),Chokwe,Fiote,Herero ('Helelo'),Kikongo,Kimbundu,Kwanyama,Lunda,Ngangela,Ngoya,Nyaneka,Ovambo ('Oxiwambo'),Songo,Umbundu.[16] Some of the national languages are used in Angolan schools, including the provision of teaching materials such as books, but there is a shortage of teachers.[8]
Umbundu is the most widely spoken Bantu language, spoken natively by about 23 percent of the population, about 5.9 million. It is mainly spoken in the center and south of the country.[8] Kimbundu is spoken inLuanda Province and adjacent provinces. Kikongo is spoken in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda.[17] About 8.24% of Angolans use Kikongo. Fiote is spoken by about 2.9%, mainly in Cabinda.[8] Lingala is also spoken in Angola.[18][better source needed]
TheSan people speak languages from two families, the!Kung andKhoe, though only a few hundred speak the latter. The majority of San fled to South Africa after the end of the civil war. The extinctKwadi language may have been distantly related to Khoe, andKwisi is entirely unknown; their speakers were neither Khoisan nor Bantu.[19]
A (very small) number of Angolans of Lebanese descent speakArabic and/or French. Due to increasingAngola-China relations, there is now asinophone community of about 300,000.[20]
Listed below are the languages of Angola.[4]
| Rank | Languages | Number of speakers in Angola |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | 15,470,000 |
| 2 | Umbundu | 6,000,000 |
| 3 | Kikongo | 2,000,000 |
| 4 | Kimbundu | 1,700,000 |
| 5 | Luvale | 464,000 |
| 6 | Kwanyama (Oshiwambo) | 461,000 |
| 7 | Cokwe/Chokwe | 456,000 |
| 8 | Lucazi | 400,000 |
| Mbangala | ||
| 10 | Ibinda | 350,000 |
| 11 | Nyaneka | 300,000 |
| 12 | Mbwela | 222,000 |
| Nyemba | ||
| 14 | Yaka | 200,000 |
| 15 | Lunda | 178,000 |
| 16 | Nkumbi | 150,000 |
| 17 | Mbunda | 135,000 |
| 18 | Ruund | 98,500 |
| 19 | Kuvale | 70,000 |
| 20 | Luba-Kasai | 60,000 |
| 21 | Songo | 50,000 |
| 22 | Luimbi | 43,900 |
| 23 | Yombe | 39,400 |
| 24 | Mpinda | 30,000 |
| Suku | ||
| 26 | Gciriku | 24,000 |
| Sama | ||
| 28 | Holu | 23,100 |
| 29 | Ndombe | 22,300 |
| Nkangala | ||
| 31 | Kwangali | 22,000 |
| 32 | Himba/Herero | 20,000 |
| Khongo | ||
| 34 | Dhimba/Zemba | 18,000 |
| 35 | Yauma | 17,100 |
| 36 | Ngandyera (Oshiwambo) | 13,100 |
| 37 | Nyengo | 9,380 |
| 38 | Kwandu | 6,000 |
| 39 | Northwestern ǃKung | 5,630 |
| 40 | Kung-Ekoka | 5,500 |
| 41 | Mbukushu | 4,000 |
| 42 | Makoma | 3,000 |
| 43 | Kibala | 2,630 |
| Mashi | ||
| 45 | Ngendelengo | 900 |
| 46 | Khwedam | 200 |
| - | Kilari | Unknown number in Angola |
| - | Kwadi | No known native speakers in Angola |
The foreign languages most taught at school areEnglish andFrench. The Angolan Government has planned to make English a compulsory subject in the future.[21]
