Portuguese Language Dialects

The Portuguese language spread throughout the world from its small home country in Europe by its famed explorers and traders. In the wake of the Portuguese Empire, there are now two main branches of the Portuguese language: European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. Today about 240 million people speak Portuguese and it is an official language in nine countries across the globe.

How Portuguese Dialects Developed

Portuguese is a Romance language, meaning it is derived from Latin. The first distinctly Portuguese language came from Galicia, which is now a region in northwest Spain. Galicia eventually split between the Spanish and Portuguese kings after Portugal’s independence in 1143 CE. This split launched the emergence of the first Portuguese dialects.

Starting in the 15th century, Portuguese sailors began traveling ever-greater distances from Europe. They set up colonies and trading posts in places as far-ranging as Brazil, Mozambique, India and Japan. Some communities in Asia continue to speak their own versions of Portuguese because of the efforts of missionaries and intermarriages during this time.

The uniformity of Portuguese fragmented with the various colonies, especially Brazil. While Portugal itself was heavily influenced by the French during the 18th century, Portuguese in Brazil was more isolated and influenced by native languages. Brazil also declared its independence in 1822, furthering the uniqueness of its dialects. Portugal would hold on to the rest of its empire until the middle of the 20th century. Read more about Portuguese language history.

Types of Portuguese Dialects

As a result of these historical divisions, the Portuguese language can be divided into two main dialect groups:
 
European Portuguese:

• This includes the dialects spoken in Portugal and the nearby Azores and Madeira islands. European Portuguese is the reference for the dialects spoken in Portugal’s former African and Asian colonies.

Brazilian Portuguese:

• This is primarily spoken in Brazil. It is by far the most common form of Portuguese with 190 million speakers.

The main differences between the different dialects are pronunciation and vocabulary. There are also grammatical differences, but all Portuguese dialects are mutually intelligible. Portugal and Brazil agreed to standardize their spellings. Brazil adopted the new system on January 1, 2009 and Portugal intends to follow suit later this year.

Read more about Brazilian business etiquette.

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