HPOB00721U Portugisisk - Det portugisiske sprog i tid og rum

Today 244 million people speak Portuguese in the world. But which Portuguese? Why does language variation exist?  What are some of the mechanisms of change?  How can we come to speak fluently another language, if variation and change is always present? These are some of the questions we will examine in this course.  Some of the topics we will take up are how the Portuguese language changed and new varieties sprung up with Portugal’s overseas expansion; how those varieties grew into dialects of Portuguese, pidgins or creoles; how groups come to create their own identity through language; how individuals vary their language according to the situation; and how non-native speakers can acquire the competence to judge appropriateness in speaking. Understanding this background is part of language proficiency and enables us to communicate adequately in, for example, an academic setting, an office or a bar - wherever Portuguese is spoken.

Language examples will be in Portuguese, but the course will be taught in English.