How about getting to know a little more about the history of the Portuguese language in the world? The official language of our country, Portuguese is also spoken in other parts of the world and even in places that you can't even imagine, very far from us on the globe.
You who know a little bit of history already know that Portugal, in distant times, entered the dispute for territories with other countries during the period of maritime expansion, a time when conquering was the watchword. Wherever they went, the Portuguese left a little of their cultural heritage, and the greatest of them is certainly the language. Brazil was forever marked by the Portuguese colonization, and the Portuguese language in our territory is so dominant that almost no traces of other dialects remain.
Countries that share the Portuguese language are part of what we call Lusophone world. Lusophone is the adjective that classifies countries that have Portuguese as their official or dominant language. Let's know what they are?
Portugal, Angola, East Timor, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea and Brazil: nine countries, one language
Angola =10.9 million inhabitants
Brazil =185 million inhabitants
Cape Green =415,000 inhabitants
Guinea Bissau =1.4 million inhabitants
Mozambique =18.8 million inhabitants
Portugal =10.5 million inhabitants
Sao Tome and Principe= 182,000 inhabitants
East Timor =800 thousand inhabitants
Equatorial Guinea= 100,000 inhabitants
Nine countries on four different continents! Have you ever imagined the cultural differences that exist among Portuguese speakers? Yes, these differences are responsible for changes in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of our language. For example, if you listen to Portuguese spoken in Portugal, you are likely to find it strange and even not understand some things. Because of this, the existence of the Orthographic Agreement between the Portuguese-speaking countries, which guarantees a certain linguistic cohesion of our beautiful Portuguese language.
We are 230 million speakers of the Portuguese language spread around the world! Despite being the only country in America to speak Portuguese, it does not mean that we are isolated, but rather inserted in this rich and peculiar linguistic community.
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
