Spread of the Portuguese language in the world. What language is spoken in Portugal? General information about the Portuguese language

Portuguese belongs to the Ibero-Romance subgroup Romanesque group Indo-European language family. It is the second most spoken Romance language after Spanish. The total number of Portuguese speakers is about 240 million people, for 220 million of them it is native. According to various criteria, Portuguese ranks VI-VIII in terms of prevalence in the world. Portuguese speakers are called Lusophones- after the name of the Roman province of Lusitania, approximately corresponding to the territory of modern Portugal.
Portuguese serves official language Portugal (less than 5% of Lusophones live in this country), Brazil (80%), Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde (Cape Verde Islands), Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor (along with the Austronesian language tetum) and Macau/Macao (along with Chinese). In addition, hundreds of thousands of residents of France, Paraguay, South Africa, the USA and India (Goa region) speak Portuguese.
Portuguese writing built on the basis of the Latin alphabet, with a number of diacritics. The principle of “as you hear is how you spell” is observed less consistently in Portuguese than in Spanish, which is why Portuguese is somewhat more difficult to learn.
Exist two main varieties of Portuguese: European and Brazilian, as well as a number of creolized varieties in African and Asian countries, differing from each other phonetically, lexically, orthographically and, in to a lesser extent, grammatically. In particular, in Brazil the letter combination ou is pronounced as o, the final -r and -l are often dropped; the combination lh is pronounced [l] in Portugal and [th] in Brazil. The ending -s in the plural of nouns and verbs is often omitted by Brazilians: they say as casa instead of as casas, nos havemo instead of nos havemos, and even nos came a fruta instead of nos comemos a fruta.
In 2008, a spelling reform was undertaken in Portugal with the aim of unifying the written language based on the Brazilian one. Television, especially Brazilian series popular in well-known circles, also brings the European version of Portuguese closer to the South American language.
In the former Portuguese colonies - Angola and Mozambique - there is a European version of the Portuguese language with an abundance of borrowings from African languages.
In Portugal there is a distinction dialects northern (provinces of Veira Entre Duro, Miranda) and southern (Extremadura, Alentejo and Algarve). In Brazil there are dialects of the north and south.
Features of the phonetic system(unlike the closely related Spanish language): the vowel phonemes [e], [o] and [a] differ in openness and closedness. There are nasal diphthongs that distinguish Portuguese from other Romance languages. The stress is strong with a sharp difference between stressed and unstressed syllables and reduction of vowels in unstressed positions, primarily at the end of the word (o is reduced in u, a in ə, e in i and a neutral sound until it disappears completely; because of this reduction, lusophones understand spoken Spanish better than Spanish-speaking people understand Portuguese). Consonants are pronounced differently depending on position and environment. S and z in absolute form and before plosive consonants sound like [ш] and [ж], respectively, which gives Portuguese speech a specific phonetic coloring, especially considering the particularity of the morpheme s - indicator plural name and second person of the verb. R in the absolute outcome is weakened. L is pronounced firmly.
Compared to Spanish, Portuguese is more archaic.This is evidenced by: the initial f- (for example, in the word falar “to speak”), which in Spanish corresponds to h- (hablar); Latin diphthong au (preserved as ou) /for example, in the word ouro "gold"/, corresponding to Spanish o (oro). The diphthong ei, which originated in Latin words, ends in -arius, eria, for example materia -> madeira "wood" (in Spanish - madera). Latin short vowels were not diphthongized: compare Portuguese pé "foot" (Spanish pié) and Portuguese morto "dead" (Spanish muerto).
Portuguese retains the combination it, which comes from Latin ct, for example oito "eight" from Latin octo (Spanish ocho). Stayed in Portuguese meaning and a form of the Latin plusquaperfect, e.g. fabulaveram -> falara "I said (before)".
One of the most significant innovations of the Portuguese language is the loss of the intervocalic -l-, which is preserved in most Romance languages. Thus, the Latin dolorem gives dôr in Portuguese, while in Spanish it remains dolor. The intervocalic -n- behaves in a similar way, which usually disappears, nasalizing the preceding vowel: manum turns into mão, lunam into lua.
Initial pl-, fl-, cl- in Portuguese become ch- [ш], which corresponds to Spanish ll. For example, the Latin words plorare, flammam and clavem become chorar, chama and chave in Portuguese.

Features of grammar. The naming system in Portuguese is similar to Spanish, the differences relate mainly to morphonology. Names starting with the nasal diphthong ão have three plural variants: - ãos, - ões, - ães. Nouns ending in -l lose it in the plural: sinal - sinais. Pronouns form fused forms (lhe + o = lho); masculine definite article o, female a merges with the prepositions a, de, por (a + o = ao, de + o = do, por + o = pelo, a + a = à).
Portuguese has a phenomenon unknown to other European languages ​​- the conjugated infinitive, for example: êle diz sermos pobres "he said that we are poor." It is widely used in the dependent position, along with the subjunctive mood: e preciso sabers ‘you need to know’. The construction of the infinitive, conjugated and unconjugated, with the preposition a is synonymous with the gerund. The form with the suffix -ra denotes the antecedent indicative (similar to variants of Spanish in Latin America). Complex tenses are formed with the auxiliary verb ter. In the pre-past and future there are variant forms with haver. Complex The main way of denoting the past complete is the simple preterite; the perfect form is rarely used. The position of the verb pronoun is relatively free; preposition or postposition is determined by speech factors.
The first literary monument Portuguese dates back to 1189. This lyric poem, belonging to Payo Soares de Taveiros and addressed to Maria Paes Ribeiro, lover of Sancho I, the second king of Portugal. The first prose monuments (chronicles) date back to the 15th century. Portuguese words can be found in Latin texts from the 9th century.
The Portuguese language is a product of a symbiosis of the medieval Galician-Portuguese language and provincial Latin. Modern Galician (in Portuguese galego or português da Galiza, in Spanish gallego), spoken by 3-4 million inhabitants of the northwestern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, is the most archaic dialect of Portuguese, and Galicia itself is considered the cradle of Portuguese language and literature .
IN history of literary Portuguese distinguish: the Portuguese-Galician period (XII - mid-XIV centuries), the heyday of troubadour poetry; the Old Portuguese period (mid-XIV - mid-XVI centuries), which is divided into the Early Old Portuguese period (mid-XIV - mid-XV centuries), from the first documentary monuments to the flowering of historical prose, the pinnacle of which was the work of the “father of Portuguese prose” Fernão Lopes, and the late Old Portuguese period (mid-XV - mid-XVI centuries), characterized by the appearance of the first grammars, literary works of various genres; modern period(from the middle of the 16th century, when the classic of Portuguese literature Luis de Camões wrote).
Modern Portuguese differs little from Old Portuguese; the main change is the loss of the initial l- in the article (lo, la, los, las became o, a, os, as) and the intervocalic -d- in verb endings 2nd person plural (-ais, -eis, -is instead of -ades, -edes, ides).

Portuguese retains traces of the ancient Celtic language, as well as words from the languages ​​of pre-Roman colonists - Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian. There are signs of Germanic influence in the Portuguese language (V-VIII centuries), but most of all borrowings are from Arabic (VIII-XIII centuries) and Italian. Big influence the Portuguese language was influenced by Spanish, which was used for a long time in Portugal as literary language. The Portuguese language did not escape French influence.
The discovery and development of vast overseas territories by the Portuguese left an imprint on the language. Numerous exotic words, primarily of Asian origin, penetrated into Portuguese, and through it into other European languages. Even some words of Latin origin entered into common European use from Portuguese (in the modified meaning that they acquired in Portuguese) - for example, “cobra”. Since the 19th century, there has been a struggle against borrowing, but rather sluggishly.

Portuguese is one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in the world. It belongs to the Romance group of languages. Written Portuguese is based on the Latin alphabet. People who speak Portuguese are called Lusophones. After all, the Portuguese territories were previously called Lusitania. This term has quite old story, like the Portuguese language itself.

History of the Portuguese language

In ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by peoples whose history is practically unknown. Researchers believe that these tribes had African roots.

The north of Portugal was once inhabited by Lusitanians, Ligurians and Iberians. The Ligurian language was the basis from which Portuguese was then born.

In the 13th century BC, the northern tribes were conquered and absorbed by the Celts. Therefore modern language There are also Celtic roots in Portugal.

Around 218 BC, the Romans captured the peninsula. They brought with them Latin, which was actively spread in the south. The northerners lived in greater isolation and managed to preserve their habits and customs.

During our era, 711 also became a difficult period for Portugal. The Iberian Peninsula was captured by the Arabs. The population was forced to learn Arabic. This is how the notorious Arabisms found their way into the language of the indigenous peoples of this state.

In the 9th century, the Romanesque dialect was almost completely formed in these lands. This process gave birth to the Old Portuguese language. Thus, in 1536, the first Portuguese charter, written by Fernan de Oliveiro, was born.

4 years after the publication of the grammar, another significant book appeared - “Dialogues about Language”. Its author was João de Barrosha. After this, the Romanesque dialect was transformed into the official language of the state.

Modernity of the Portuguese language

Today, Portuguese is rapidly approaching its Brazilian norm. Because there are differences between the same language in Portugal and Brazil.

Luis de Camoes did a lot to ensure that the grammar and spelling of Portuguese had uniform rules and norms. In his works he used ancient literature and Italian works of the Renaissance.

Features of the language

The contrast between open and closed phonemes is a feature of New Portuguese. Cervantes also called this language group “sweet language”, for its melody and melodiousness.

About 150 million people today speak Portuguese. Many of them use specific dialects. The absence of the intervocalic "l" sound distinguishes this language from all other Romance languages.

The first written monument of Portuguese dates back to 1189. It is a poem dedicated to Maria Paes Ribeiro, who was the lover of Sancho the First. The author of this work is Payo Soares de Taveiros.

Portuguese has many borrowings from Spanish, Arabic and Latin. There are words and expressions from the Asian language group. This diversity is explained simply: the Portuguese have always traveled a lot, maintained trade relations with other peoples, and their territories were repeatedly conquered.

Portugal is a country that has absorbed best sides different cultures. A variety of tribes and peoples lived under its scorching sun in every era. All of them had a hand in the formation of the modern Portuguese language. This is probably why Portuguese is not only one of the most common, but also one of the most beautiful languages peace. It is also a popular and frequently chosen language to learn.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

Portuguese belongs to the Romance group of languages ​​and is the official language in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and East Timor (since 2000). The number of Portuguese speakers in the world exceeds 260 million people, of which a significant part are Brazilians - about 200 million people. It should be noted that Portuguese, along with others, is used by residents of territories - former colonies of Portugal, such as Macau (Macao), Sri Lanka, Java and others. Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world.

The Portuguese language exists in two main varieties - Portuguese (abbreviated pt-EU, that is, português europeu) and Brazilian (abbreviated pt-BR, that is, português brasileiro). There are significant phonetic and lexical, as well as some grammatical differences between them. In the remaining countries listed above, the classical version of the language (European) predominates, with local specifics. The international organization, which includes countries where Portuguese has the status of a state language, is called CPLP (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa) - Commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking countries.


BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE

Before the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral on April 22, 1500, more than a thousand languages ​​of various Indian tribes existed in the eastern part of South America. In the 16th – 17th centuries. The so-called Common Language (Língua Geral) was spread, which was based on the language of the Tupi Indians. It was a means of communication between the colonialists, in particular the Bandeirantes (conquerors of the interior of Brazil at the end of the 16th - XVII centuries), and Indians. This was the first transformation that Portuguese underwent in Brazil. On August 17, 1758, the Marquis de Pombal introduced Portuguese as the official language in Brazil, prohibiting the use of the Common Language. In the 17th century, due to the intensification of sugar cane cultivation, the Portuguese brought six times more black slaves to Brazil than in the 16th century. The Portuguese language has thus undergone significant changes due to the influence of African dialects, especially the Yoruba language. Thanks to emigrants from all over the world, the Brazilian Portuguese language was enriched with borrowings from Spanish, French, English, German, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and other languages.

The demand for Brazilian Portuguese in modern world growing thanks to Brazil's rapid economic development. Given the important economic and political role Brazil in Latin America in particular international organizations MERCOSUL and UNASUL, on the American continent, especially in South America, it is the Brazilian version of Portuguese that is widespread. IN Lately it began to become more widespread throughout the world.

Brazilian Portuguese has more than ten dialects, characteristics each of which will be discussed in the final chapters of the textbook. Minor differences between them do not hinder mutual understanding between the inhabitants of Brazil.


DIALECT OF PORTUGUESE IN BRAZIL IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Everything related to Rio de Janeiro is denoted by the adjective “carioca” ( from language stupid cario'oka – “house white man”, as well as the dialect of Brazilian Portuguese spoken here - Carioquês. He has a small stock of his own vocabulary (there is even a dictionary of Karyokisms), as well as an accent by which one can immediately determine that a person is from Rio de Janeiro. However, the Rio de Janeiro accent is not only common in Rio. It is also spoken in some states of the North, such as Amazonas and Pará, and the Northeast (with some differences). According to general estimates (by adding up the populations of the states where this accent is spoken), approximately a quarter of the Brazilian population (50 million people) has a Rio de Janeiro accent.

What are its phonetic features?

Firstly, the letters S and Z in the middle of a word before a consonant and at the end of a word are pronounced as Russian [ш] if they come before a voiceless consonant, and as [жь] if they come before a voiced one. While in the rest of Brazil they are pronounced like Russian [s]. For example:

coisa s ” - “koiza sch

trê s ” - “trey sch

e s cola" - "And sch cola"

feli z ” – “feli sch

bi s coito” – “ bi sch koitu"

me s mo” - “may yeah mu"

legi s lativo” – “lie down yeah lachiva”

Va s coda Gama” - “wai uh ku-da-Gama”

Historically, this pronunciation became widespread in Rio de Janeiro after the arrival of the Portuguese royal court in the city in 1808.

Pay special attention to the rule for merging words: when merging a word ending with a consonant with a word starting with a vowel, the final sound [ш] or [жь] is pronounced as [з]. For example:

três capas” – treysch kapash (no merger)

trê s a lunas” – trey behind moonshine (fusion)

For reference: in spoken language (V official style it is unacceptable) Rio de Janeiro there is another pronunciation of the letters S and Z - as a voiceless, guttural [x]: if these letters are the last in the word or if the S is in the middle of the word. For example, the word "mesmo" reads as “meRmu” (here the pronunciation [R] corresponds to the pronunciation of the southern Russian “G”). In words mais, dez etc. in some cases the voiceless [x] is read at the end. For example: " dez reais” is pronounced like or - in the second example, the final voiceless [x] and the initial [R] are the same, single sound. Sometimes in words the sound [R] is stretched. All these cases are unique and depend on the position of the word and the structure of the phrase. For example, “mais pra frente” is pronounced “mayh pra frenchy” ( s reads like a light, dull Russian “x”, which is barely audible). This process is called debuccalization.

Second distinctive feature Carioca pronunciation - the letter R in the middle of a word before a consonant is not a pure guttural and sonorous [R], as it is in French, but is a kind of mixture of guttural [R] and [χ] (throat “x”) and is pronounced dull , if it stands before voiceless consonants, and like the South Russian “G”, if it stands before voiced consonants.

For example:

“porta”- “pokhta”

"caderno"- “kadehnu”

The third feature of Carioca pronunciation is the insertion of the sound [i] before consonants: in the middle of a word and especially at the end:

pastel pa i shtel

mesmo - me i shmo

bons bõ i nsh

Vasco Va i shco

bastante - ba i shtante

In addition, sometimes the sound [u] is inserted after [o]: while in the rest of Brazil they pronounce “ dose” (twelve) like “ dosie“, in Rio de Janeiro they say “ to at zi“.

One of the main lexical features of the Rio de Janeiro dialect is the use of the pronoun tu instead of você . Except Rio de Janeiro, tu most often used in the North, Northeast and South of Brazil.

This Rio de Janeiro accent is contrasted with the São Paulo accent, spoken in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Northeast Brazil.

· Official name: Portuguese Republic

· Country area: 92,117.5 sq. km.

· Climate: Subtropical, Mediterranean

· Population: 10 million people

· Religion: Christianity (Catholicism)

· Official language: Portuguese

· Political system: Presidential republic

Capital: Lisbon

· Currency: Euro

In 1911, after the Portuguese revolution, the modern Portugal flag: green color- a symbol of travel and discovery of new lands, red - a symbol of revolution. Coat of arms of Portugal is a red and white shield in the center of which four small shields are arranged crosswise of blue color. Along the edges of the shield are seven yellow images of a castle. The shield is depicted against the background of an armillary sphere - a symbol sea ​​voyages and emblems of Henry the Navigator.

The national anthem is "A Portuguesa".

Geographical position
A state in southwestern Europe, located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. In the north and east it borders with Spain. In the west and south it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The islands of Madeira and the Azores are autonomous regions of Portugal. The total area of ​​Portugal, including the Azores (2335 sq. km) and the Madeira Islands (794 sq. km) is 92,082 sq. km. Portugal also belongs to overseas territory— Macau in East Asia, located near Hong Kong. Most of the country's territory is mountainous; in the west and south, the mountains turn into a vast coastal plain. The tallest Mountain chain Portugal's Serra da Estrela reaches an altitude of up to 2000 m. The country is crossed by three big rivers, originating in Spain and flowing into Atlantic Ocean: Tagus (Tajo), at the mouth of which Lisbon is located; The Douro (Duero) and the Guardiana, which forms part of the country's eastern border.

Climate
The Atlantic determines the climate throughout Portugal. Thanks to the cold Canary Current, the temperature here is lower than in the same latitudes of the Mediterranean, here the weather is more capricious, and there is more precipitation. On almost the entire coast of Portugal, the water temperature remains at 18 degrees throughout the year. The exception is the southern coast - the Algarve province, where the water temperature in summer is on average five degrees higher.

Population
Indigenous - Portuguese, there are emigrants from North Africa, Of Eastern Europe

Official language
Portugal is a monolingual country. The official language is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by about 232 million people on three continents.

History of Portugal
Throughout the history of Portugal, its territory was subject to conquest by both individual tribes and armies of entire states. Initially, the lands of present-day Portugal were subject to Carthage, an ancient state in northern Africa. In 15 BC. The historical region of Lusitania, located in the southwest of modern Portugal, became part of the Roman Empire. The name of the country goes back to Portus Cale, which is what the Romans called the city of Porto in the north.
Lusitanian War 159–135 BC, which began with a revolt local residents against the Romans, led to the liberation of the region from Roman rule. However, in subsequent centuries, the lands were subject to raids by tribes of Vandals, Alans, Suevi and Visigoths. By 716, the territory of almost the entire Iberian Peninsula, with the exception of a small northern region, occupied by Arabs and Berbers. The year 722 marked the beginning of the Reconquista - the process of reconquering the territory by the Christian population. The Reconquista did not end until 1492.
The basis of modern Portugal is considered to be the county of the same name, the first mention of which as a feudal state dates back to 868. The Kingdom of Portugal was created in 1095 and existed until 1910. Afonso I the Great (Alfonso I) became the first king of Portugal in 1139, marking the beginning of the reign of the Burgundian dynasty, which lasted until 1383.
Historians call the period from 1279 to 1415 a time of strengthening of the monarchy, when the focus was not on military issues, but on internal ones - social, economic and institutional. The strengthening of the monarchy took place despite the resistance of the Church and the nobility. Since 1385, the Avis dynasty has strengthened on the throne.
For almost a whole century, from 1415 to 1499, Portugal was gripped by a fever crusades and geographical discoveries. Brazil and a number of small states in East Africa, Madagascar, Ceylon, etc. In 1497–1498, the Portuguese Vasco da Gama was the first European to make a sea voyage from Europe to India. In 1522, another native of Portugal, Ferdinand Magellan, accomplished the first in history trip around the world. By 1580, Portugal had become an Empire with vast dependent territories and reached the peak of its power.
After the death of King Sebastian of Portugal in 1578, the Spanish ruler Philip II decides to seize the Portuguese throne. The Spanish army invaded Portugal encountering virtually no resistance. For 60 years the country became a province of Spain.
With the accession of the Bragan dynasty to the throne in 1640, the liberation of Portugal from Spanish rule and the revival of the monarchy began. The country's transition from absolutism to a constitutional monarchy was preceded by the Pombal reforms of the mid-18th century. The then ruler of the country, Prime Minister Marquis de Pombal, established equal civil rights for the inhabitants of Portugal and its colonies.
In 1808, the Peninsular War begins when the French, led by Napoleon, occupy Spain. Portugal also took part in the confrontation with the French Empire in alliance with Spain and England.
In 1820, a bourgeois revolution broke out in Portugal, aimed at strengthening constitutional reforms. The revolution became the predecessor of the Miguelist Wars of 1823–1834, which advocated absolutism and a constitutional monarchy. The revolution of 1910 led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the transition to a republican form of government.
The nationalist coup of 1926 led to the establishment of a fascist regime, the “New State,” led by Oliveira Salazar, a former professor of political economy and then prime minister. The regime was only overthrown in 1974 during the Red Carnation Revolution, a bloodless military coup.
On January 1, 1986, Portugal joined the European Union and in 2002 adopted the euro.

Holidays and non-working days: January 1 (Feast of the Virgin Mary), Good Friday, April 25 (Freedom Day), May 1 (Labor Day), June 10 (Portugal Day), August 15 (Assumption of the Virgin Mary), October 5 (Proclamation of the Republic), November 1 (All Saints Day), December 1 (Restoration of Independence Day ), December 8 (Day of the Immaculate Conception), December 25 (Christmas).

National characteristics: In Portugal it is not customary to yawn and stretch in public places, in a conversation you should not discuss problems related to the family and especially children. And please do not question the country's historical greatness - the Portuguese are deservedly proud of their past, especially compared to the modest place the country occupies today. In addition, never compare the Portuguese with the Spaniards - despite the unconditional similarity of languages, customs, national cultures and characters, the Portuguese perceive such comparisons very painfully.

    Portugal is the most western country Europe.

    Almost half of the population of Portugal lives in two cities: Lisbon and Porto - an interesting fact.

    Portuguese is spoken by about 232 million people around the world. Portuguese is the official language in 9 countries.

    The capital of Portugal is ranked 25th in the ranking of the most livable cities in the world.

Portuguese belongs to the Romance group, part of the Indo-European language. language family. The written language is based on the use of characters from the Latin alphabet.

Portuguese emerged from the Galician-Portuguese language and today is the second Romance language in terms of the number of people speaking it, after its neighboring Spanish, in addition, Portuguese is consistently among the ten most common languages ​​in the world, occupying 6-8 places according to various sources. These days in total Portuguese is spoken by more than 230,000,000 people in the world; by the way, there is a special term for them - Lusophones, and all territories in which Portuguese is the main language are united by the term Lusophony.
Portuguese has many similarities with other languages ​​of its group. The closest thing to it is Spanish However, in comparison with Spanish, the Portuguese language is more conservative, it uses many ancient phrases, in addition, Portuguese has more phonetic borrowings of Celtic origin, and the pronunciation of some sounds makes it similar to Catalan and French languages. However, in terms of lexical composition it is still much closer to Spanish.
The year of origin of the Romance group of languages ​​is considered to be 218 BC, when the Romans, who came to the Iberian Peninsula, brought there Latin language, from which the entire group subsequently developed.
Germanic tribes had some influence on the development of the Portuguese language, including different time captured the peninsula during the “Great Migration”. The Arab conquerors had more influence on Spanish speech than on Portuguese; this can easily be explained by the fact that the people who lived in Portugal two centuries earlier than the Spaniards conquered their lands, after which the Galician-Portuguese language became the main language throughout almost the entire territory of the country, however The culture of the Mauritanians managed to penetrate deeply into the everyday customs of the inhabitants of Portugal.
In the 14th–16th centuries, Portuguese travelers began to spread the language throughout the world. Thanks to the colonization of Asian and African settlements and the emergence mixed marriages between the aborigines and the Portuguese, as well as the activities of Catholic missionaries, the Portuguese language is successfully taking root in Africa, America and Asia.
During the Renaissance, numerous borrowings from Gaulish and Gaulish came into the Portuguese language. English languages and the divergence began language norms Portugal and Brazil.

Portuguese is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, East Timor and Mozambique, and the vast majority of speakers today live in Brazil.

There are subtypes of the Portuguese language - classical Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. The difference between them is due largely to phonetic and lexical features In addition, in Brazil there are northern and southern dialects, and in Portugal itself there are three dialectical varieties of the language.

Related languages

Peculiarities of pronunciation make it difficult for native Spanish speakers to understand Portuguese, despite the fact that Spaniards most often understand written Portuguese, but Lusophones easily understand Spanish speech, especially in those places where Spanish has had an impact. greatest influence on the development of Portuguese, for example in southern Brazil.

Story

The first written evidence of the origin of the Portuguese language is found in the 9th century. In records from this period, texts written in Latin begin to use some Portuguese words, a mixture linguists call pro-Portuguese.

In the 12th-14th centuries, at the beginning of the development of the Portuguese language, the Galician dialect from which it arose was the language used by poets in Christian Spain. After recognition of Portugal independent state In 1143, the Galician dialect began to be used as the basis of the classical literary language at both the Galician-Portuguese and Spanish courts.

In 1920, the Galician-Portuguese ruler, King Dinis, founded a university in Lisbon and ordered that the then considered vulgar language be called Portuguese and used in all official writing.



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