By Darla Himeles
The oldest forms of spoken Portuguese originated in Latin America in the third century B.C. after the Romans invaded what would become Portugal. The first written documents in early Portuguese were produced in the ninth century. Portuguese now is spoken by more than 230 million people.
Geography
The Portuguese language originated in the Western Iberian Peninsula, and it gradually spread to Africa, Asia and South America. The largest population of native Portuguese speakers resides in Brazil.
Lusophone Communities
Regions where Portuguese is an official language.
Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) communities have developed as a result of colonization, emigration and trade. As of 2008, Portuguese is an official language of eight countries and Macau.
Latin Roots
Like all romance languages, Portuguese derives from vulgar Latin, the spoken Latin of the early Middle Ages.
Portuguese Language Evolution
"Proto-Portuguese," which still used Latin words, was spoken from the ninth to 12th centuries. "Old Portuguese" was spoken until the mid-16th century, gaining prominence when Portugal became a country in 1143. "Modern Portuguese" has been spoken since the 16th century. Since the Renaissance, more words of Classical Latin and Greek origin have developed in the language.
Types
The two prominent types of Modern Portuguese are European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. Brazilian Portuguese originated after the Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral came to Brazil in 1500.
Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese rapidly developed in 1500s Brazil because the Portuguese integrated with the native Brazilians and imported African slaves. Much of Brazilian Portuguese's spelling and pronunciation differs from European Portuguese because of these other languages' influence.
Resources
About the Author:
Darla Himeles is a freelance writer, editor and poet living in Castine, Maine. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College's English and education programs and a current student in Drew University’s MFA in poetry and poetry in translation program, Himeles writes frequently about education, wellness, writing and literature.
