Portuguese + Spanish the fastest growing western languages
<<I have always thought that if Spanish wants to reach a World Language status it needs to rejoin Portuguese, which, wouldn't be very difficult. >>
Spanish doesn't "need" Portuguese in any shape or form. Whatever gave you that idea? It already has a foothold in the US and the economies of the lager Spanish-speaking countries are going from strength to stregnth. Namely Mexico, Chile and Argentina. If anything it's the Portuguese language that's in a precarious position as there predictions from some linguists that it may not survive as an official language in Brazil.
Are we runing the Language Olympics here?
What is the problem with you. Portuguese is a language with future due to demographics and economics. Facts are facts. Spanish is a major world language, so it is Portuguese. If Spanish speakers learn Portuguese and Portuguese speakers learn Spanish (what is actually happening already) the better for both languages.
Godot
In fact I agree with your opinion.
Actions speak louder than words! I believe Portuguese will still play an important role just like Spanish instead of being replaced by Spanish.
Even Mexico is getting stronger with the aid of USA, we can't deny Brazil has a big potential to compete with Mexico or any other Latin American countries, Spanish speaking world is NOT yet the Number One.
Why not abandon arrogant attitude to Portuguese, it's no meanings!!!
Chinese you have no idea of what are you talking about.
I'm Mexican and I'm telling you Brazil is not in conditions to compete with any other country in Latin America. We don't deny it have a great potential as a nation but sadly of the potencial is stucked due the high level of corruption (even higher that in Mexico) and poverty. Go anytime and visit Brazil and Chile and judge by yourself.
SIGMA
Maybe I engaged in idle theorizing about Mexico and Brazil, sorry!
But I have ever read twice an official website in China, it says: Latin American Economy now is followed the lead of Mexico and Brazil......
Is that news inconsistent with the facts? I want to know the verity!
Thanks
Chinese
{I'm Mexican and I'm telling you Brazil is not in conditions to compete with any other country in Latin America}[Sigma]
You are reacting as a typical egocentric Mexican. "Oh!No! Brazil is not going to outdo Mexico. "
Well, I am not Brazilian nor Mexican and I am telling you the facts:
Brazil is a larger, richer, more influential country than Mexico. It always was, it still is and it always will be. Corruptiosn is a big factor in both countries. Moreover Brazilians are better soccer players.
see:
Brazil and Mexico's Manufacturing Performance in International Perspective, 1970-1999 -Nanno Mulder , Sylvie Montout , and Luis Peres Lopes
"This paper studies the labour productivity performances of Brazil and Mexico in international perspective in manufacturing by comparing them with the United States, one of the international productivity leaders, during the period 1970-99. Brazil and Mexico are compared separately with the USA, in 1985 and 1988 respectively using the International Comparisons of Output and Productivity (ICOP) method. With ICOP, detailed sectoral-specific conversion factors (unit value ratios, UVRs) are estimated to express value added per person engaged in a common currency. This paper shows that labour productivity in Brazil was 43 per cent of the US level in 1985 and that in Mexico 27 per cent of the US in 1988. The extrapolation to the 1970-99 period shows that the productivity gaps of the Latin countries with the USA widened, in particular in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Brazil managed to stabilise the productivity differential, whereas Mexico continued to loose ground relative to the USA. "
http://www.cepii.fr/anglaisgraph/workpap/summaries/2002/wp02-05.htm
GODOT
You gave me so much encouragement, so that my motivation of learning Brazilian Portuguese became more confirmedly and hopefully, Thanks!!!
Regards
Chinese
CHINESE,
Thanks for giving me so much credit. Don't waist more time with me. Get the books! learn Spanish too. I wish I could learn Chinese. You are very lucky.
Hola, dentro de dos dias hará un viaje de dos dias a lisboa y por desgracia no sé portugues, tan solo hablo español y algo de inglés. Tendré problemas para que la gente me entienda?. Según tengo sabido los portugueses entienden mejor el español que los españoles el portugues.
No tendras problemas. Te endiedem y tu los entendras.
''Hola [rodrigo]''
oi queridim, tudo bão?
um baita abraço de Minas Gerais (Brasil)
Rodrigo,
Cuando hayas vuelto de Lisboa, dinos como fue tu viaje.
Well, I am not Brazilian nor Mexican and I am telling you the facts:
Brazil is a larger, richer, more influential country than Mexico. It always was, it still is and it always will be. Corruptiosn is a big factor in both countries. Moreover Brazilians are better soccer players.
Don't make me laught Godot since when the territorial extension plays an important role in influence or economics? Africa is so much larger than Europe then Africa is more influential?
I'm the one showing you the facts:
According to the World Bank, Mexico ranks 12th in the world in regard to GDP and has the highest per capita income in its region; and it is firmly established as an upper middle-income country. Since the economic crisis of 1994–1995 the country has made an impressive economic recovery. According to the director for Colombia and Mexico of the World Bank, the population below the poverty level has decreased from 24.2% to 17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9% in rural areas from 2000-2004 [2].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico
Brazil currently has 45 million people living in conditions of poverty. This is a critical issue.
Poverty in Brazil can be seen in the large metropolitan areas (capitals) and in the "pockets of poverty" (upcountry regions with low rates of economic and social development). The Northeast has chronic problems as a result of its dry climate, with millions of people suffering hunger during the dry seasons. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has proposed a program (Fome Zero) to mitigate this problem but its success is disputed.
About 8% of the Brazilian population is officially considered illiterate (analfabetos in Portuguese) but over 30% of the total population do not have capacity to read and write texts, although a growing percentage show some writing and computing abilities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil
Am I acting as a egocentric Mexican? Yes so what?
Sigma,
Nothing wrong about being egocentric and/or ethnocentric. Mexico is a greaet emerging economic country. Yet, Brazil outrancks Mexico as the 8th economic power and is more influencial than Mexico.
Wow with the way some of these other latinophones are talking at each other it would seem there was tension between brazilian speaking and castellano speaking latinos. My parents would laugh at some of the disagreements you all seem to be having (father: Panamanian Mother: Brazilian). In are large extended family we don't seem to have a problem getting a long. I have family members when we get together in big family occasions that one will speak Spanish and the other will respond in brazilian without a problem. It is funny how these people blow out of porportion the difference between sister languages. If anybody had half a brain they could weed through pronunciation and understand what is being said. Yes, don't get me wrong there are some very nationalistic brazilians and castellanos that seem to spout out reteric but there will always be people like that.