Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world, with more than 250 million speakers worldwide. Aside from its country of origin, Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Acores, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe, and is commonly spoken in seven other countries. A part of the Ibero-Romance language group that descends from Latin dialects, its origins are ancient, but during the Age of Exploration, it spread to many corners of the globe, and is present in many popular forms of music, such as bossa nova and samba.
During Fall semester 2014, Fabrício da Silva will teach introductory Portuguese. He is a native Portuguese speaker from Brazil, has lived in Lisbon, Portugal, and has an MA in Languages, Literatures & Linguistics from Indiana State University. At the end of the semester-long course, students should expect to have basic reading, speaking and listening skills, as well as gain understanding about differences and similarities between Brazil and the United States (some of which may surprise you).
“Learning Portuguese will prepare you to work in such diverse fields as planning and consulting, finance and banking, tourism and hospitality, information sciences, diplomacy, journalism, publishing, advertising, a career in government, social services, media, law, linguistics, health, and the arts, just to name a few. Thus, knowledge of Portuguese can be instrumental in furthering your career,” said da Silva.
Anyone who is interested in learning a language that will help them participate in global politics, economics, research, tourism, languages, and more may consider Portuguese in tandem with Spanish. Between the two, they cover all of South America plus many other places in Europe, Africa, and Asia. UK’s International Center offers a list of eight programs that utilize Portuguese language (sometimes with other disciplines, such as agriculture, business and economics, and more).
“Majors and minors of Portuguese have reported landing positions in multinational companies, airlines, translation/interpretation, graduate school, international agencies, import-export companies, tourism, research institutes, and teaching,” said da Silva.
Language studies are not just about learning new words, however. “Broaden your view of the world. Learning a new language is not just learning grammar and vocabulary. It is learning new sounds, expressions, and ways of seeing things; it is learning how to function in another culture, how to know a new community from the inside out. Portuguese can help you do so.”
A&S 104-001, Beginning Portuguese II, will be held Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm. No previous Portuguese language courses are required; students who have taken introductory Portuguese may also enroll. For more information about Portuguese courses at UK, please visit the A&S Course Page.