Learn Portuguese Vocabulary
Portuguese Language
Portuguese is official language of Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Galicia, and São Tomé and Príncipe. It belongs to the group of Romance languages. Furthermore, it is also a co-official language in Macau (China), Equatorial Guinea and East Timor. Portuguese is considered to be the fifth most spoken language in the world with over 260 million speakers. It is also the most spoken language in South America and the second most spoken in Latin America after Spanish, and is an official language of the European Union and Mercosur.
Dialects
Modern Standard European Portuguese is based on Portuguese spoken in the area of Coimbra and Lisbon, in central Portugal. Standard Brazilian Portuguese is based on the Portuguese spoken in the area of the city of São Paulo. Standard European Portuguese also remains the preferred standard by the Portuguese-speaking African countries. Generally speaking Portuguese has only two dialects used for learning: the European and the Brazilian.
Map of Portuguese speaking countries and communities (Dark green: native language. Green: official and administrative language. Light green: cultural or secondary language. Yellow: portuguese-based creole. Green square: portuguese speaking minorities.) - source: Wikipedia
Vocabulary
Portuguese vocabulary is a part of Romance language family. Its roots are linked to Latin, however, many other languages left its mark, such as Gallaecian, Celtic, Germanic and Arabic. Galician-Portuguese also known as old Portuguese diverged from Romance languages after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the barbarian invasions in the 5th century. Germanic influence on vocabulary came about 409 and 711 AD with the influence of Germanic invasion known as Barbarians. The Germanic languages influenced Galician-Portuguese by introducing words often linked to the military like guerra (war) or laverca (lark), animals like ganso (goose) and human feelings such as orgulho (pride). Moorish invasion of Iberian Peninsula brought Arabic vocabulary relating to food, agriculture and the crafts. Portuguese of today is therefore a result of an organic evolution of Vulgar Latin and the influence of other languages.
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Learning Portuguese
There are a number of ways to learn Portuguese with all the technology and resources available. Even though most schools in the western world don’t teach Portuguese as a second language, you can go to internet websites, like YouTube, and look up free video lessons for learning Portuguese. Some people prefer this approach to learning as opposed to just taking a class. The most efficient way to learn a new language is by total immersion. However, not everyone has the resources to do so. We believe that by using our language learning stickers you can give yourself the most effective way of learning new vocabulary. Its easy, fun and effortless.
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