Portuguese (Portugual)
| European Portuguese | |
|---|---|
| Português europeu | |
| Native to | Portugal |
|
Native speakers
|
10 million (2012) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
| IETF | pt-PT |
European Portuguese (Portuguese: português europeu, pronounced [puɾtuˈɣez ewɾuˈpew]), also known as Lusitanian Portuguese (português lusitano) and Portuguese of Portugal (português de Portugal) in Brazil, refers to the Portuguese language spoken in Portugal. Standard Portuguese pronunciation, the prestige norm based on European Portuguese, is the reference for Portugal, the Portuguese-speaking African countries, East Timor and Macau. The word “European” was chosen to avoid the clash of “Portuguese Portuguese” (“português português”) as opposed to Brazilian Portuguese.
The language is the same with different accents in many countries. It is a Latin based language, with Greek and Arabic influence. It was spoken in Iberia before as Galicean-Portuguese. With the formation of Portugal as a country in the 12th century, the language evolved into Portuguese. In a small province of Spain in the Northern border of Portugal called Galicia, the native language is Galego. Both Portuguese and Galego are very similar and natives can understand each other as they share the same origin. Portuguese and Spanish are different languages, although they share some similar words.
European Portuguese is divided into Northern and Southern varieties. The prestige norms are based on two varieties: that of Coimbra and that of Lisbon.
Phonetically, differences emerge within Continental Portuguese. For example, in northern Portugal, the phonemes /b/ and /v/ are less differentiated than in the rest of the Portuguese speaking world (similar to the other languages of the Iberian peninsula). Also, the original alveolar trill remains common in many northern dialects (especially in rural areas), like Transmontano, Portuese, Minhoto, and much of Beirão. Another regionalism can be found in the south with the use of the gerund in the present progressive tense rather than the infinitive.
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