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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Europe > Portugal > Portuguese

Portuguese

A language of Portugal

ISO 639-3por

Population  10,000,000 in Portugal. Population total all countries: 177,981,570.
Region  Iberia, Azores, Madeira. Also in Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, China, Congo, East Timor, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara), Jamaica, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mozambique, Netherlands Antilles, Oman, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé e Príncipe, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia.
Language map  Portugal and Spain
Alternate names   Português
Dialects  Beiran (Beirão), Alentejan (Alentejano), Algarvian (Algarvio), Minhotan (Minhoto), Transmontan (Transmontano), Madeirese (Madeirense), Azorean (Açoriano), Estremenho, Brazilian Portuguese. Standard Portuguese of Portugal is based on Estremenho dialect (Lisbon and Coimbra).
Classification  Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Portuguese-Galician
Language use  Official language. 15,000,000 L2 speakers.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 83%–84%. Fully developed. Bible: 1751–1995.
Writing system  Latin script.
Comments  SVO. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Angola

Language name   Portuguese
Population  57,600 in Angola (1993).
Language use  Official language.
 

Brazil

Language name   Portuguese
Population  163,000,000 in Brazil (1998).
Region  Widespread.
Language use  Official language.
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: 71%.
Comments  Christian, traditional religion.
 

Cape Verde Islands

Language name   Portuguese
Population  14,800 in Cape Verde Islands (2004).
Language use  Portuguese used primarily on TV and radio, in Congress, classrooms, churches, and with foreigners. Portuguese is the primary language of instruction in 12 grades.
 

East Timor

Language name   Portuguese
Alternate names  Português
Language use  Official language. Probably 2% of the population from East Timor worldwide can function in it, including about 9,000 people living overseas.
Comments  Christian.
 

France

Language name   Portuguese
Population  750,000 in France (1989).
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: Relatively low.
 

Guinea-Bissau

Language name   Portuguese
Population  198,000 in Guinea-Bissau (2005).
Language use  Official language.
 

India

Language name   Portuguese
Population  250,000 in India.
Region  Goa, Daman, Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli.
Language use  Official language.
Comments  Official language of Goa (but not recognized as an official language by the national constitution).
 

Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara)

Language name   Portuguese
Region  Flores Island, Sikka area.
 

Mozambique

Language name   Portuguese
Population  35,000 in Mozambique (2006).
Language use  Official language. 27% speak it as L2.
 

São Tomé e Príncipe

Language name   Portuguese
Population  2,580 in Sao Tome e Principe (1993).
Language use  Official language. Used by many people as their L1 until their late 20s, when they become more active in São Tomense society, and relearn Sãotomense [cri], the language of social networks above age 30. Used as L2 by some.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

EVERETT, Daniel L., author. 1988. Anaphoric indices and inalienable possession in Brazilian Portuguese.

FERREIRA, Jo-Anne S., author. 1999. The Portuguese language in Trinidad and Tobago: a study of language shift and language death.

GREEN, Diana; GREEN, Harold G., authors. 1997. Você pode ler e escrever na língua palikúr: Gramática sucinta da língua palikúr.

KROEKER, Menno H., author. 1996. Txa²wã¹wãn³txa² kwa³jan³txa²wãn³txa² hau³hau³kon³nha²jau³su² (Dicionário escolar bilíngue: Nambikuara - Português, Português - Nambikuara).  Available online

POPOVICH, A. Harold; POPOVICH, Frances B., compilers. 2004. Dicionário Maxakalí-Português-Glosário Português-Maxakalí.

VINTON, James E.; VINTON, Virginia C., authors. 2001. A linguistic survey of the Chuwabu language cluster.

WALTERS, Susan G., author. 1994. Primary stress assignment in Brazilian Portuguese.

WEISS, Helga E., author. 1980. Fonética articulatória; guia e exercícios, 2a edição (revista e ampliada).

Vernacular Publications

A história de Joana: livro do aluno. 2006.

A história de Joana: manual do facilitador. 2006.

Curso Bilíngue Manual 3 Português/paumarí (Teacher's Guide). 1996.

Curso bilíngue português/paumarí manual 1 [primeira na série de 5] [Teacher's Guide]. 1996.

O galo e o morcego = Muthupi ni nantuuthu = Mutubi ni nantutu = Nthupi ni nantuuthu = Urafiki wa kokoriko na nlema. 2006.