Portuguese is a language that is spoken by almost 300 million people across 11 different countries and is the 5th most popular language in the world in terms of the number of speakers. It is amazing that in spite of this, many people in the United States are unaware that Portuguese is very different from Spanish. If you want to take
portuguese language courses, there are a few things you should learn about the language and its speakers.
Many people think that everyone in South America speaks Spanish. However, Portugal colonized Brazil, making Portuguese the official language of the country. Brazil is a huge country that makes up about half of the population of South America. That means that half of South America is made up of Portuguese speakers.
One important thing to know about Portuguese is that there are two different standards of Portuguese. The Portuguese spoken in Portugal and the Portuguese spoken in Brazil are drastically different. Not only do the two standards sound different in terms of pronunciation, their grammatical structure and vocabulary differ greatly as well.
They are so different, in fact, that Brazilians often have to use Brazilian Portuguese subtitles when watching movies made in Portugal. Learning one of the standards does not mean that you will automatically understand the other. Brazilian Portuguese has been strongly affected by African influence (from the time of slavery) and indigenous languages (native of the Brazilian Amazon).
Portuguese is not just the official language of Brazil and Portugal but 9 other countries as well. Portuguese is spoken in several areas of Africa such as Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde. In addition, it is one of the official languages of East Timor and Macau, in Asia. That means that Portuguese is spoken in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Not to mention the expansive immigrant populations in the United States.
Traveling to a country without being able to speak their native language is a risky idea. Usually, residents will appreciate if you attempt to at least learn basic phrases in their language. Instead of assuming that everyone speaks English, enroll in a language course, so you can be better prepared for travel.
Since Portuguese is a major language spoken all over the world, it should not be hard finding
languages course offerings in your home town. If you can find a native speaker to do one-on-one conversation courses with you, it will be beneficial. Make sure the language course you take actually teaches the dialect of Portuguese you need to know. Although learning European Portuguese to travel to Brazil is better than nothing, you should continue searching for a different class.
More Information:
Some people who speak Spanish find it easier to take
Portuguese language courses through CDs. You will probably find success buying a language training CD or investing in
language lessons.
Categories
