Portuguese Dialects Worldwide

The Many Portuguese Dialects

Portuguese dialects are different forms of the Portuguese language. Many people throughout the course of history have been spoken these varying types of Portuguese. In spite of their differences, they are not distinct enough from the Portuguese language to be called an official language of their own. The variations among the Portuguese dialects are mainly in the way they sound and how different the formal and informal ways of speaking are.

There are many vocabulary differences between the dialects, but these mostly include words regarding plants, animals, and other local items. Because they are relatively minor words, it does not impact the language that much. There are very few dialects that stray from the official grammar of Portuguese. This causes almost all of the Portuguese language dialects to be understandable by all who speak the language.

European Portuguese Dialects

There are a wide variety of Portuguese dialects stemming from all different countries. One of these is African Portuguese. These dialects are typically closer to those used in Portugal. Yet, in some ways, it is quite similar to Brazilian Portuguese as well. Asian Portuguese dialects are very much alike to the African ones. Because of this, it closely relates them to the dialects of Portugal.

Another main dialect of Portuguese is European Portuguese. The dialects of Portugal can be separated into the southern and central dialects and the northern dialects. The southern and central dialects of Portugal include the dialect of the capital, Lisbon. The northern dialects include the dialect of Porto (Portugal’s second largest city).

Used in the region of Galicia, Spain, the Galician language is thought by some to be the dialect of the Portuguese. This dialect is referred to as Galican-Portuguese. Others considered it to be a closely related but altogether different language. The debate regarding whether or not Galician is an official language is very controversial.

South American Portuguese Dialects

Brazilian Portuguese is split into northern and southern groups. Since São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have so much economic and cultural power, their dialects tend to heavily influence the rest of Brazil. In spite of this, due to the immigration from the northern states to the southern states, the influence is, largely, mutual.

Portuguese is also currently very prominent in Uruguay. Uruguay recently made Portuguese mandatory for students in 6^th grade at public schools. In addition to the important role Portuguese plays in Uruguay, there is also a unique Portuguese dialect spoken in the areas between Uruguay and Brazil. This dialect is called Portunhol Riverense and is not to be confused with Portuñol (a mixing of Spanish and Portuguese). It is, instead, a type of Portuguese language created in Uruguay when the first Portuguese immigrants arrived.