Kimbundu

Introduction

The kimbundu is one of the languages most spoken in Angola, mainly in the North-East of the country, and in particular in the province of Luanda. Also practiced with the Zimbabwe, and in the areas bordering, its surface of extension recovers what was formerly the territory Mbundu. It belongs to the family of the Langues bantoues.

One distinguishes eleven ethnic sub-groups kimbundu, each one having his own dialect: ngola, dembo, jinga, bondo, bângala, songo, ibaco, luanda, quibala, libolo and quissama.

During the Portuguese time colonial, a decree of 1919 interdict the use of the local languages in the schools, and made compulsory that of the Portuguese language, which strongly made move back the use of the kimbundu in the populations educated and urban, to the profit of Portuguese.

Since the years 1960, the populations mbundu emigrated of the rural areas towards the urban areas of the west of Angola, in particular Luanda and Malanje, made evolve their language to a mixture of kimbudu and Portuguese whom they name ambaca . To be distinguished from the rural populations Mbundu, they name themselves Ambundu or Akwaluanda .

Writing

The writing of the kimbundu date of the missionaries capuchins and Jesuits, who developed it with an aim of teaching with the autochtones the Portuguese language and catholic catechism. They codified grammar, and defined of it the orthographical rules which are still into force nowadays.

The writing of the kimbundu is phonetic. It has 5 Voyelle S (has, E, I, O, U), U having also the function of a Semi-voyelle. Certain consonants are represented by two letters, such as for example mb in mbambi (gazelle), or nj in njila (bird).

Vocabulary

mutu; nobody kima; thing Kuria; food tubia; fire lumbu; wall

See too

External bonds

Kimbundu people
People Profile - North Mbundu off Angola
Ethnic groups off Angola
Introdução ao Kimbundu

Random links: