The Latin Language Split

A study of the Portuguese language

The Roman Empire

03rd century B.C.

2nd century B.C.

1st century C.E.1st century B.C.

2nd century C.E.

3rd century C.E.

4th century C.E.

5th century C.E.

6th century C.E.

7th century C.E.

8th century C.E.

Birth of the

Roman Empire

Julius Ceas

arApog

eeFall of

the Empire

Latin Languages : The Romance Language Family• Spanish• Portuguese• French• Italian• Romanian

1. Origins

2. Influences from Others

3. Further Split through Colonisation

4. Influences on Others

Origins

• Common roots with Keltic languages• Latin and Keltic share many identical grammatical forms

275 B.C.

The Dialects of Latin after the Fall

0

476 A.D.

Latin after the Fall• It disintegrated

• Ceased to be strictly spoken

• Did not become a dead language even if no longer spoken

• It lived through important literature

• Was used by scholars during the Middle Ages.

Various provincial dialects : distinctive languages by the corruption and loss of grammatical endings

Portuguese is described as “the Last Flower of Latium” Brazilian poet Olavo Bilac

Influences from OthersDialects of Latin were left free to evolve without the guidance of any Roman schools

The dialects further diverged because of different conquering cultures.

Iberian Peninsula: Portuguese

• Two cultures left their mark• Invasions of Germanic tribes:

changed the sound, military lexicon.

• Invasion of Moorish (Arabic): agriculture lexicon

What immerged is Galician-Portuguese.It was the language with the closest ties to Vulgar Latin.

Further Split through Colonization

When the language was established and the country formed in the 12th century, it’s

prosperity depended on the exploration of new territories as all lands in Europe were

standing their ground.

Portugal sent explorers to the four corners of the world.

Independency of colonies : more dialectal differences

For example: its biggest colony, Brazilian Portugeuse was influenced by the aboriginals

And inconsistencies in reforms, for instance written accents, made the written language

very different from each other.

Influences on Others• Certain words in English are from Portuguese origins directly and, by

extension, indirectly from Latin:

Brisa: Breeze

Caramelo: Caramel

Marmelada: Marmelade

• Creation of a Creole in Sri Lanka

In conclusion…

Portuguese as a Modern Language:• Its distinctive ties to Latin• Its unique sound because of different influences (Barbaric & Arabic)• Its dialectal differences around the world through colonization• Its now present cultural influence

All of these elements makes this language very rich and beautiful.