The Portuguese language
linguagem
- 1Any system of signs that allows us to communicate — words, gestures, code or silence.
- 2The particular way each people, and each of us, says the world.
see also linguagem mother
from Latin lingua (“tongue”) + -agem.
A language born in medieval Galicia, carried by sea to four continents, and spoken today by some two hundred and sixty million people.
- ~260 Mspeakers
- 9countries
- 4continents
- 12th c.first texts
Index
The ten sections
From Latin roots to mesoclisis, from fado to Saramago — every aspect of the language, documented.
History
From Vulgar Latin to modern Portuguese — eight centuries of a language.
Geography
Where Portuguese is spoken: nine countries, four continents, ~260 million.
Variants
Standards, dialects and creoles of a pluricentric language.
Phonology
The sounds of Portuguese — nasal vowels, sibilants and rhythm.
Orthography
The writing system, the accents and the 1990 Orthographic Agreement.
Grammar
From gender to the subjunctive, from the personal infinitive to mesoclisis.
Lexicon
The words: Latin roots, Arabic borrowings, and the famous saudade.
Literature
From Camões to Pessoa and Saramago — a literature across continents.
Culture
Fado, music, cinema and the institutions of the language.
Learn
A roadmap for anyone learning the Portuguese language.
Tools