Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese
português brasileiro
Native toBrazil
Native speakers
~203 million (2022)[1]
Indo-European
  • Italic
    • Latino-Faliscan
      • Latin
        • Romance
          • Italo-Western
            • Western Romance
              • Gallo-Iberian
                • Iberian Romance
                  • West Iberian
                    • Galician–Portuguese
Early forms
Old Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-1pt-BR
ISO 639-3–

Brazilian Portuguese (português brasileiro; [poʁtuˈɡez bɾaziˈlejɾu]) is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil. It is spoken by nearly all of the 203 million inhabitants of Brazil,[1] and widely across the Brazilian diaspora, consisting of approximately two million Brazilians who have emigrated to other countries.

Brazilian Portuguese differs from European Portuguese and varieties spoken in Portuguese-speaking African countries in phonology, vocabulary, and grammar, influenced by the integration of indigenous and African languages following the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1822.[2] This variation between formal written and informal spoken forms was shaped by historical policies, including the Marquis of Pombal's 1757 decree, which suppressed indigenous languages while mandating Portuguese in official contexts, and Getúlio Vargas's Estado Novo (1937–1945), which imposed Portuguese as the sole national language through repressive measures like imprisonment, banning foreign, indigenous, and immigrant languages.[3][4] Sociolinguistic studies indicate that these varieties exhibit complex variations influenced by regional and social factors, aligning with patterns seen in other pluricentric languages such as English or Spanish.[5][6][7] Some scholars, including Mario A. Perini, have proposed that these differences might suggest characteristics of diglossia, though this view remains debated among linguists.[8][9] Despite these variations, Brazilian and European Portuguese remain mutually intelligible.[10][a]

Brazilian Portuguese differs, particularly in phonology and prosody, from varieties spoken in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking African countries. In these latter countries, the language tends to have a closer connection to contemporary European Portuguese, influenced by the more recent end of Portuguese colonial rule and a relatively lower impact of indigenous languages compared to Brazil, where significant indigenous and African influences have shaped its development following the end of colonial rule in 1822.[2][14] This has contributed to a notable difference in the relationship between written, formal language and spoken forms in Brazilian Portuguese.[15] The differences between formal written Portuguese and informal spoken varieties in Brazilian Portuguese have been documented in sociolinguistic studies. Some scholars, including Mario A. Perini, have suggested that these differences might exhibit characteristics of diglossia, though this interpretation remains a subject of debate among linguists.[8]: 152  Other researchers argue that such variation aligns with patterns observed in other pluricentric languages and is best understood in the context of Brazil’s educational, political, and linguistic history, including post-independence standardization efforts.[16][4] Despite this pronounced difference between the spoken varieties, Brazilian and European Portuguese barely differ in formal writing and remain mutually intelligible.[17][18][b]

This mutual intelligibility was reinforced through pre- and post-independence policies, notably under Marquis of Pombal's 1757 decree, which suppressed indigenous languages while mandating Portuguese in all governmental, religious, and educational contexts.[22] Subsequently, Getúlio Vargas during the authoritarian regime Estado Novo (1937–1945), which imposed Portuguese as the sole national language and banned foreign, indigenous, and immigrant languages through repressive measures such as imprisonment, thus promoting linguistic unification around the standardized national norm specially in its written form.[2][23][4]

In 1990, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of the Portuguese orthography to unify the two standards then in use by Brazil on one side and the remaining Portuguese-speaking countries on the other. This spelling reform went into effect in Brazil on 1 January 2009. In Portugal, the reform was signed into law by the President on 21 July 2008 allowing for a six-year adaptation period, during which both orthographies co-existed. All of the CPLP countries have signed the reform. In Brazil, this reform has been in force since January 2016. Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries have since begun using the new orthography.

Regional varieties of Brazilian Portuguese, while remaining mutually intelligible, may diverge from each other in matters such as vowel pronunciation and speech intonation.[24]

  1. ^ a b Umberlândia Cabral (28 June 2023). "Census 2022: Between 2010 and 2022, Brazilian population grows 6.5%, reaches 203.1 million". Agência de Notícias IBGE (IBGE News). Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Freyre, Gilberto (15 March 2019). Casa-grande & senzala (in Brazilian Portuguese). Global Editora. ISBN 978-85-260-2461-8.
  3. ^ Schwartz, Stuart B. (1994). "Language Policy and Luso-Brazilian Identity". Implicit Understandings: Observing, Reporting and Reflecting on the Encounters Between Europeans and Other Peoples. Cambridge University Press. pp. 346–361. ISBN 978-0-521-45880-1.
  4. ^ a b c Schneider, Sérgio (2010). Getúlio Vargas e a Construção da Nação Brasileira. Editora Record. pp. 220–225.
  5. ^ Alkmim, Tânia; Aguilera, Vanderci (2017). Sociolinguística no Brasil - Uma Contribuição dos Estados sobre Línguas em/De Contato (1 ed.). São Paulo: Editora Pontes. pp. 50–70. ISBN 978-85-217-0059-5. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  6. ^ Barbosa, P.; Paiva, M. C. de; Rodrigues, C. (2017). Studies on Variation in Portuguese. John Benjamins.
  7. ^ Crystal, David (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. pp. 109, 493. ISBN 978-0521530330.
  8. ^ a b Perini, Mario A. (2004). Sofrendo a Gramática: Ensaios sobre a Linguagem. Ática. p. 152. ISBN 8508084839. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  9. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  10. ^ Crystal, David (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. pp. 109, 493. ISBN 978-0521530330.
  11. ^ Carvalho, Ana Maria (2011). "Variation and diffusion of Uruguayan Portuguese". Journal of Portuguese Linguistics. 10 (1): 115–134. doi:10.5334/jpl.109.
  12. ^ Salomão, Maria (2018). Portuguese in Venezuela: Language and Identity. Springer. pp. 45–60. ISBN 978-3030102241.
  13. ^ Ferreira, Fernanda (2015). "Portuguese Language in the United States: Maintenance and Shift". Hispania. 98 (4): 594–609. doi:10.1353/hpn.2015.0112.
  14. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  15. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  16. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  17. ^ Crystal, David (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. pp. 109, 493. ISBN 978-0521530330.
  18. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  19. ^ Carvalho, Ana Maria (2011). "Variation and diffusion of Uruguayan Portuguese". Journal of Portuguese Linguistics. 10 (1): 115–134. doi:10.5334/jpl.109.
  20. ^ Salomão, Maria (2018). Portuguese in Venezuela: Language and Identity. Springer. pp. 45–60. ISBN 978-3030102241.
  21. ^ Ferreira, Fernanda (2015). "Portuguese Language in the United States: Maintenance and Shift". Hispania. 98 (4): 594–609. doi:10.1353/hpn.2015.0112.
  22. ^ Schwartz, Stuart B. (1994). "Language Policy and Luso-Brazilian Identity". Implicit Understandings: Observing, Reporting and Reflecting on the Encounters Between Europeans and Other Peoples. Cambridge University Press. pp. 346–361. ISBN 978-0-521-45880-1.
  23. ^ Azevedo, Milton M. (2005). Portuguese: A Linguistic Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–115. ISBN 978-0521805155.
  24. ^ "Brazilian dialectal zones". www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br. The Portuguese Language


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