The poem you will read now is by Olavo Bilac, the master of Brazilian Parnassianism. Portuguese language, one of his best-known sonnets, translates into verse all the creativity and genius of the poet who, in his literary career, dedicated himself to the cult of this last flower of Lazio, wild and beautiful which is our Portuguese language:
Portuguese language
Lazio's last flower, uncultivated and beautiful,
You are, at the same time, splendor and grave:
Native gold, which in impure denim
The crude mine among the gravel sails...
I love you like this, unknown and obscure.
Loud tuba, simple lyre,
That you have the trumpet and the hiss of the storm,
And the list of nostalgia and tenderness!
I love your wild freshness and your aroma
Of virgin jungles and the wide ocean!
I love thee, O rude and painful language,
in which from the maternal voice I heard: "my son!",
And when Camões wept, in bitter exile,
The blissless genius and the lackluster love!
THE Portuguese language or just Portuguese is a language originated in Galician-Portuguese, a language spoken in the Kingdom of Galicia and in the north of Portugal. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to throw themselves overboard in the period of
Great Navigations Maritime As a result of this maritime expansion, motivated by commercial issues, the language spread in the conquered lands, including Brazil, whose primary language is Portuguese. The influence of Portuguese culture around here was such that it ended up defining the official language of the newly conquered land. The same happened in other parts of the world, mainly in Africa, where countries like Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe use, in addition to various dialects, the language of Camões, Fernando Pessoa and our genius Machado de Assist.In addition to African countries, Portuguese reached Macau, East Timor and Goa, Asian countries that were also colonized or dominated by Portugal. Today, the Portuguese language is the 5th most spoken language in the world and the most spoken in the southern hemisphere of the Earth, with approximately 280 million speakers in different continents. According to estimates by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, Portuguese, after English and Spanish, is one of the the fastest growing languages of the European languages, as well as being the language with the greatest potential for growth as an international language in Africa and North America. South. If the estimates are confirmed, it is possible that, by the year 2050, our language will have more than 400 million speakers around the world!
Portuguese, like many other languages, has undergone a historical evolution, a fact that proves the organic nature of our language. Over the centuries, other languages and dialects influenced its composition, resulting in the language as we know it today. It is important to emphasize that Brazilian Portuguese, today the most studied, spoken and written in the world, presents important differences in relation to Portuguese spoken in Portugal, especially with regard to vocabulary, pronunciation and syntax. Such differences have given rise to two different language patterns, which does not mean that one is more correct than the other. Our language is rich in varieties, and these varieties, above all regional (see the linguistic differences found in our territory), do not hinder its understanding, although specific difficulties may to happen.
In addition to linguistic variations, the Portuguese language also has different registers, adopted according to the communicational needs of the speakers. These records refer to language levels and establish differences between the cultured language (determined by the standard norm) and the colloquial language, used in different situations of our daily. Such aspects only prove the richness and diversity of our language, reinforcing the importance of studying and understanding it. In order for you to know more about your own language, after all, it is always important to value this invaluable Brazilian intangible cultural heritage, Brasil Escola has prepared for you the sections of Grammar, Literature and Essay, spaces where you will find everything you need to deepen your knowledge of what is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and complex languages in the world. Enjoy your reading and good studies!
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
