Portuguese
Portuguese is the official language of approximately 250 million people in eight countries on four continents. After English and Spanish, it is the third most widely spoken European language, and the fifth most spoken language in the world.
Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, the fifth most populous country in the world, the largest country in Latin America, and the fifth largest global economic power. Portuguese is also one of the languages of the European Union, of which Portugal is a member.
Five African countries use Portuguese as their official language:
- Cape Verde
- Guinea-Bissau
- São Tomé and Principe
- Angola
- Mozambique
As one of the five working languages of the African Union, Portuguese is one of Africa’s main vehicles of intercultural communication.
Even in communities across Asia, Portuguese continues to be an important element of a complex cultural mosaic, sharing official status with Chinese in Macau, and with Tétum in East Timor. Moreover, Portuguese is widely spoken outside of its officially recognized borders by over two million people across the United States, Canada, and in other corners of the global diaspora.
We currently offer four courses in Portuguese:
- PORT 101: Elementary Portuguese I
- PORT 102: Elementary Portuguese II
- PORT 151: Intermediate Portuguese I
- PORT 152: Intermediate Portuguese II
Portuguese Cluster
The department currently offers one Portuguese cluster in the humanities academic division.
Portuguese Language (H1POR001)This cluster focuses on the study of Portuguese at the elementary, and intermediate levels.
For more information about Portuguese language courses, contact Professor Teresa Valdez at (585) 275-5156 or tvaldez@ur.rochester.edu.