Umbundu (language)
| Umbundu | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Spoken in |
Angola | |
| speaker | 6.98 million | |
| Linguistic classification |
|
|
| Official status | ||
| Other official status in |
 Angola
|
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639 -1 |
- |
|
| ISO 639 -2 |
mod |
|
| ISO 639-3 | ||
The Umbundu (also Mbundu (ambiguous), Benguela Mbundu ) is a Bantu language native to central Angola, especially in the provinces of Huambo , Bié and Benguela , which is spoken by around 35% of the population of Angola .
The Umbundu is one of the six indigenous languages that have officially been granted national language status .
The Umbundu is the language of the Ovimbundu , an ethnic group that has developed over the centuries as part of the Bantu migration . They spread over the entire central highlands and the coastal area adjacent to the west. Before the arrival of the Portuguese they formed various kingdoms , which carried on lively trade and thus promoted the expansion of the Umbundu; this was either adopted by smaller ethnic groups or used as a lingua franca. After the colonial conquest in the 19th century, Latin-based writing, including the definition of grammar, was carried out separately by Protestant and Catholic missionaries, which led to slightly different versions. Despite the similarity of names, there is a clear difference to the Bantu language Kimbundu , also spoken in Angola ; in the border area between the two language areas there are dialects that combine elements from both languages.
literature
One of the first scientists to study the language in depth was Bowdich:
- Thomas Edward Bowdich : An Account of the Discoveries of the Portuguese in the Interior of Angola and Mozambique. John Booth, 1824
Remarks
- ↑ The only official language in Angola is Portuguese.