NY Times: At Long Last, a Neglected Language Is Put on a Pedestal

[Filho do Dragão]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/world/americas/23brazil.html?em&ex=1161748800&en=30d4477d3cc2cdb2&ei=5087%0A


In 1996, Brazil and Portugal joined with five African nations — Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe — to found the Community of Portuguese-Language Countries. Portuguese was recently designated an official language of the Organization of African Unity as a result of the community’s efforts. Leaders think that more can be done and hope that Brazil can lead the way.

“One of our objectives is to disseminate Portuguese so that it has greater visibility in international organizations,” José Tadeu Soares, deputy director general of the group, said in a telephone interview from its headquarters in Lisbon. “But aside from Brazil and Portugal, the other countries have only been independent for 25 or 30 years and don’t have the resources to project themselves on the world stage the way Brazil can.”

What do you think?

[Century's Best]

Portuguese is a rich language indeed. The Brazilian "accent" is a myth; it was inevitable that in a nation as vast as Brazil, regional dialects would arise. The paulistano's style contrasts with the dragging R's of the carioca; the slow and slightly country-like drawl of the mineiro is easily distinguishable from the intonated inflection of the gaucho.

But Portuguese getting global recognition?

I think it's a daunting task to say the least. Spanish is already recognized as the primary language of Latin America; there are I think 500 million speakers.

English and French, we all know.

Italian and German are still taught and sought after.

In the world of business, the 1980s saw the ascension of Japanese and now with China's emergence, Chinese has gained in popularity.

It's great though that an effort is being made.

[thetaylor310]

No one can really disagree that Brasil's influence both in culture and sports is still making o português relevant to the world today


Spanish-speakers have sometimes jokingly dismissed Portuguese as simply “Spanish, badly spoken.” But because of Brazil’s huge size and dynamic economy, cities like Buenos Aires and Santiago, in neighboring countries, are now awash in fliers and billboards offering Portuguese language courses

"Spanish, badly spoken"...? putz! rsrs
(BTW: i didn't know Chile bordered us?!?!?!? rsrs)

i was really somewhat impressed when i went to that border city in Paraguay two months ago... and most of the store workers spoke português (or perhaps portunhol! haha)

Yeah, i'm sure most of us brasileiros are probably biased in this debate, but i'd much rather prefer our "colourfully casual version" of português than espanhol

And sadly, i'd have to agree with Century here that it would probably difficult to make português an officially recognised language of the UN or for international recognition