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| Angolan Portuguese | |
|---|---|
| português angolano, português de Angola | |
| Native to | Angola |
Native speakers | 12 million (48% of the population) (2016)[1] 26 million (71% of the population) spoke Portuguese at home, often alongside a Bantu language (2014 census)[2] |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Angola |
| Regulated by | Academia Angolana de Letras |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| IETF | pt-AO[3][4] |
Angolan Portuguese (Portuguese:português de Angola) is a group of dialects and accents ofPortuguese used inAngola. In 2005 it was used there by 60% of the population, including by 20% as their first language. The 2016CIAWorld Fact Book reports that 12.3 million, or 47% of the population, speaks Portuguese as their first language.However, many parents raise their children to speak only Portuguese. The 2014 census found that 71% speak Portuguese at home, many of them alongside a Bantu language, breaking down to 85% in urban areas and 49% in rural areas.[2]
There are different stages of Portuguese in Angola in a similar manner to otherPortuguese-speaking African countries. Some closely approximate Standard Portuguese pronunciation and are associated with the upper class and younger generations of urban background. Angola is the country with the second-highest number ofPortuguese speakers, behind only Brazil.
The standard phonology in Angola is based on the European standard, as in the rest of Lusophone Africa. Vernacular accents share similarities withBrazilian Portuguese and these similar features have historical reasons. As withPortuguese spoken in Mozambique, the Portuguese spoken in Angola is influenced byBantu languages.However, the contemporary StandardEuropean Portuguese is thepreferred pronunciation, as such it has become atransitional dialect somewhat midway between the European and Brazilian varieties.
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Although most of the vocabulary is the same as in Portugal, Brazil or Mozambique, there are differences, many due to the influence of African languages spoken in Angola. In the capital, Luanda, indigenous languages are practically nonexistent.
| Angola | Portugal | Brazil | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| bazar | ir embora, bazar (slang) | ir embora, vazar (slang) | to go away/home |
| garina | rapariga, miúda, gaja (slang) | garota, guria (in the south) | girl |
| jinguba | amendoim,alcagoita | amendoim | peanut |
| machimbombo,autocarro | autocarro | ônibus | bus |
| musseque | bairro de lata | favela | slum quarter |
| geleira | frigorífico | geladeira | fridge |
Examples of words borrowed fromKimbundu into Angolan Portuguese include:
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Many words of Angolan origin are used in othervariants of Portuguese. Among these words arebunda (backside or "bottom");fuba [fubá in Brazil] (maize flour);moleque ("kid");kizomba andkuduro.
Various aspects of Brazilian culture –samba,candomblé andcapoeira – all bear linguistic traces of this contact.
In Portugal, Angolan Portuguese has had a large influence on the vernacular of the younger population, contributing significant amounts of lexicon. Examples include:
Many of these words and expressions made their way to Portugal through immigration of black Angolans as a result of theAngolan civil war.