The Dynamics Of Lingala In Contact With Portuguese And Angolan National Languages In The City Of Luanda

The presence of Lingala, a native language to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the city of Luanda in Angola has increased in recent years. This despite the rejection and discrimination of its speakers by the natives. How does Lingala take hold in the city of Luanda, despite the marginalization suffered by its speakers? For better understanding this phenomenon, the article proposes, first, to identify the order of use of languages (among Lingala, Portuguese and Angolan national languages), in order to see the place of Lingala in daily interactions; then, to determine the factors that ensure the vitality of Lingala. To achieve these objectives, the questionnaire survey was combined with the observation of interactions in the four major markets of the city. The results of the survey showed that Portuguese is the language of interaction, followed by Lingala that is also rapidly expanding. The sum of democratic, cultural, religious, prestige and trade and service factors determine the vitality of Lingala in Luanda.