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Kimbundu language

Kimbundu
North Mbundu
Native to Angola
Region Luanda Province, Bengo Province , Malanje Province
Ethnicity Ambundu
Native speakers
4 million (2012)
Dialects
  • Kimbundu proper (Ngola)
  • Mbamba (Njinga)
Language codes
ISO 639-2
ISO 639-3
Glottolog kimb1241
H.21

Kimbundu, or North Mbundu, one of two Bantu languages called Mbundu (see Umbundu), is the second-most-widely spoken Bantu language in Angola. It is concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Luanda Province, Bengo Province, Malanje Province and the Cuanza Norte Province. It is spoken by the Ambundu.

Consonants

Vowels

If the i or u comes before another vowel, they are pronounced as /y/ and /w/ (ex: iiii {yee-yee}, uiua {wee-wah}). Within double vowels, each vowel is pronounced individually, unlike a diphthong. Accents include the acute /á/, grave /à/, and circumflex /â/. At the end of a word, the accent rests on the first vowel (ex: rikau, sai {rikáu, sái}). In the middle of a word, the second vowel has the accent (ex: bauka, sai-ku {kubaúka, saí-ku}).


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Wikipedia

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