|
Why learn Portuguese?
Portugal is a beautiful country,
much of which has yet to be properly discovered by the British.
It is a popular holiday destination but it is also so much
more.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries Portugal was a superpower, with enormous wealth
and colonies all over the world. In 1581, the Spanish invaded
Portugal and occupied it for sixty years, during which time
Portuguese fortunes declined dramatically. In 1755, bad luck
struck Lisbon in the form of an earthquake. The twentieth
century was another turbulent one for Portugal, with the overthrow
of the monarchy in 1910 and a succession of repressive, more
or less dictatorial governments ruling the country until the
revolution in 1974. Portugal gave up its last colony, Macau,
in 1999.
These days, Portugal is a modern,
thriving economy with a great deal to offer the foreign visitor.
If you are going to get the most out of your trip, however,
you need to know at least some of the language.
Here at JMJ in Manchester, we
have taught Portuguese to many people who have known Portugal
for a while before learning to speak its language. They have
all reported feeling both satisfied and exhilarated communicating
with the Portuguese in their own tongue. It is the only way
really to get below the surface of a country.
It is not a particularly difficult
language to learn. If you have some experience of Spanish,
Italian or even French, you will find Portuguese very accessible.
(If you haven't, you will have the advantage of no preconceived
ideas about pronunciation.)
When you first listen to Portuguese,
it usually sounds impenetrable and much more foreign than,
say, Spanish. It is true that the pronunciation and the accent
are very different from those of the other Romance languages
but when you see Portuguese written down, you may be surprised
how much you can understand.
Have a look at the following
words and see what you think.
o aeroporto (the airport)
o apartamento (the apartment, flat)
o problema (the problem)
a gasolina (the petrol)
o minuto (the minute)
importante (important)
excelente (excellent)
Not too bad so far, is it?
A degree more difficult now, for the more experienced
linguists:
o livro (the book)
o bilhete (the ticket - lh is pronounced like gl in Italian
or ll in Spanish)
o jornal (the newspaper)
For a brief overview of the history of the Portuguese language,
please click here.
For a very detailed and
informative assessment of how Brazilian Portuguese differs
from European Portuguese, please click here.
Inspired to learn Portuguese?
If you live in or near Manchester,
you could start a one-to-one
Portuguese course with us tomorrow (or whenever it suits
you).
There is a large Portuguese-speaking
community in Manchester and you should have no trouble finding
people to talk to in Portuguese, to practise what you've learnt
in your lessons.
Recommended Reading
If you are interested in learning
Portuguese, you might like to have a look at the Portuguese
language books we recommend to accompany any course you
take or for maintaining/improving your Portuguese by yourself.
If you are planning a trip to
Portugal or Brazil, check out the guide
books available.
If you are interested
in the life and culture of Portugal or Brazil, have a look
at our recommendations for books
about or set in Portugal and Brazil. These books are in
English, a range of fiction and non-fiction that we have enjoyed
and hope you will too.
Some Quick Facts About Portugal
Language:
Portuguese (official)
Mirandese (officially recognised but used only in some rural
areas of Portugal)
Capital city:
Lisbon (Lisboa)
Regions:
The islands of Madeira and the Azores (Açores) are
autonomous regions of Portugal.
To find the Madeira entry on Wikipedia, click
here.
To find out more about The Azores, click here.
The Portuguese mainland is divided into 18 administrative
districts:
Aveiro
Beja
Braga
Braganca
Castelo Branco
Coimbra
Evora
Faro
Guarda
Leiria
Lisboa
Portalegre
Porto
Santarem
Setubal
Viana do Castelo
Vila Real
Viseu
Population:
10,605,870 (July 2006 est.)
Currency:
Euro
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Government:
Republic. Unicameral parliamentary system.
Internet domain:
.pt
Country calling code:
+351
If you are interested in learning more about
Portugal, you might also like to look at the following websites:
Country
Studies - Portugal
Portugal
Info
Fado
music

Some Quick Facts About Brazil
Languages:
Portuguese (official)
Spanish, English, French
Capital city:
Brasilia
Area: 8,547,403
sq km, making up 47% of South America.
(This is 35 times the area of the UK and marginally smaller
than the USA.)
States:
Acre (AC)
Alagoas (AL)
Amapá (AP)
Amazonas (AM)
Bahia (BA)
Brasília (DF)
Ceará (CE)
Espírito Santo (ES)
Goiás (GO)
Mato Grosso (MT)
Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)
Maranhão (MA)
Minas Gerais (MG)
Pará (PA)
Paraná (PR)
Paraíba (PB)
Pernambuco (PE)
Piauí (PI)
Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Rio Grande do Norte (RN)
Rio Grande do Sul (RS)
Rondônia (RO)
Roraima (RR)
Santa Catarina (SC)
São Paulo (SP)
Sergipe (SE)
Tocantins (TO)
Population:
182.8 million (UN, 2005)
Currency:
Real
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Government:
Republic. Bicameral parliamentary system.
Internet domain:
.br
Country calling code:
+55
If you are interested in learning more
about Brazil, you might also like to look at the following
websites:
BrazilBrazil.com
The
Kingdom of Portugal and Brazil, 1815-21
The
Brazilian War of Independence 1821-1825
An
article about Brazil's relationship with Portugal (2003)
A
short history and explanation of Capoeira, an important
part of Brazilian culture
A
much more detailed exploration of Capoeira
Learn Portuguese at our school in Manchester:
- Tailor-made, one-to-one courses
- Intensive or longer-term courses
- Convenient Manchester location
Click here
to read more about our Portuguese courses.
|