Lusophony
Learning a language is not only using the dictionary and replacing a word in one language by another in another language. Above all, it is discovering different thought, culture and lifestyle. In the likeness of what occurred with France and Spain, Portugal was a Roman province called Lusitania. Which explains why speakers of Portuguese are currently called lusophones. Portugal began its conquests around the world, before Spain and even France. In the 16th century, Portugal already controlled a vast empire in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Later, with the colonial expansion, Portugal expanded its presence to Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Portuguese is the 3rd most spoken European language in the world, after English and Spanish. It is the official language of several countries spread over five continents.
• Europe - Portugal, Madeira, Azores;
• America - Brazil;
• Africa - Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe;
• Asia - Macau;
• Oceania - Timor.
Speakers of Portuguese around the world
Lusophony is an economically and demographically expanding space, attracting evermore investors. As an example, a highlight is Brazil (8th country, with a population that will reach, in the first quarter of the 21st century, 217 million, according to the IMF), with China and India, one of this century’s three economic powers.
To Study Portuguese is to:
Open yourself to different cultures around the world, which opening has several implications in the economic world;
Be able to work with companies that establish relations not only with Portugal and Europe, but also developing countries such as Brazil and Angola;
Come into contact with texts of the scientific universe;
Know a rich language from the phonetic point of view, the learning of which allows easier acquisition of others, albeit with different phonetic systems;
Be able to communicate with more than 200 million lusophones spread throughout the world.
Source: http://www.bournemouthportugues.co.uk/Lusofonia.html |