The Portuguese language is a Romance language belonging to the Indo-European language family. Its history dates back to the time of the Roman Empire when the Iberian Peninsula (now Spain and Portugal) was part of the Roman Empire, and Latin was the official language.
Over time, Latin evolved into different forms of Vulgar Latin, which began to blend with local languages, including those spoken by the Visigoths, Moors, and Basques. In the 12th century, the Romance language that would become Portuguese emerged in northern Portugal.
In the 13th century, Portuguese became the official language of Portugal and started to spread throughout the country. During the Renaissance, Portuguese literature experienced significant growth, with writers such as Luís de Camões, the author of "The Lusiads".
In the 18th century, Portugal began colonizing Brazil, bringing with it the Portuguese language and culture. This contributed to the worldwide spread of the Portuguese language.
Today, Portuguese is spoken by approximately 220 million people worldwide, primarily in Portugal, Brazil, and the former Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia. It is an important language in business, politics, and culture, and it is widely studied as a foreign language in many countries. Portuguese culture, including fado music and visual arts, has also contributed to the popularity of the Portuguese language worldwide.
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