| 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 |
| Keyboard layout | |
Portuguese is the official language of Angola. Over 46 other languages are spoken in the country, mostly Bantu languages.
Portuguese is the sole official language. Cultural, social and political mechanisms that date back to colonial history causes the number of native Portuguese-speakers to be large and growing. A 2012 study by the Angolan National Institute for Statistics found that Portuguese is the mother tongue of 39% of the population. It is spoken as a second language by many more throughout the country, and the 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.
In urban areas, 85% of the population declared to speak Portuguese at home in the 2014 census as opposed to 49% in rural areas. Portuguese was adopted by Angolans in the mid-20th century as a lingua franca among the various ethnic groups. After the Angolan 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 as Angolan Portuguese. Phonetically, this variant is very similar to the Mozambican variant with some exceptions. Some believe that Angolan Portuguese resembles a pidgin in some aspects.
However, in Cabinda, wedged between two French-speaking countries (the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo), many people speak French as well as or better than Portuguese. In fact, of the literate population, 90 percent speak French, and only 10 percent speak Portuguese. [better source needed] Also, the Angolan Bakongo who were exiled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo usually speak better French and Lingala than Portuguese and Kikongo.
All native languages of Angola are considered to be national languages. After independence, the government said it would choose six to be developed as literary languages. The six languages vary between government pronouncements but commonly include Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo (presumably the Fiote of Cabinda), Chokwe, Kwanyama (Ovambo), and Mbunda (never clearly defined; may be Nyemba, Luchazi, or indeterminate). 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. 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.
Umbundu, the most widely-spoken Bantu language, is spoken natively by about 23 percent of the population, about 5.9 million, mainly in the centre and the south of the country. Kimbundu is spoken in Luanda Province and adjacent provinces. Kikongo is spoken in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda. About 8.24% of Angolans use Kikongo. Fiote is spoken by about 2.9%, mainly in Cabinda. Lingala is also spoken in Angola.[better source needed]
The San people speak languages from two families, the !Kung and Khoe though only a few hundred speak the latter. The majority of San fled to South Africa after the end of the civil war. The extinct Kwadi language may have been distantly related to Khoe, and Kwisi is entirely unknown; their speakers were neither Khoisan nor Bantu.
A very small number of Angolans of Lebanese descent descent speak Lebanese Arabic and/or French. Increasing Angola-China relations has caused a Chinese-speaking community of about 300,000.
Here are the languages of Angola:
| 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 that are the most at school are English and French. The Angolan government has planned to make English a compulsory subject.
