Umbundu
Umbundu, or South Mbundu (autonym úmbúndú), one of two Bantu languages of Angola called Mbundu (see Kimbundu), is the most widely spoken language of Angola. Speakers are known as Ovimbundu, who constitute a third of the Angolan people. Their homeland is the Central Highlands of Angola and the coastal region west of these highlands, including the cities of Benguela and Lobito. Because of recent internal migration there are now also large communities in Luanda and its surrounding province, as well as in Lubango.
Phonology
Umbundu has three tones: low, high and downstepped high. The first acute accent (á) in a word represents a high tone. Subsequent acute accents represent downstepped high tones. The low tone is represented by a grave accent (à). Unmarked syllables carry the same tone as the preceding syllable.
