I have always wondered whether it is a just coincidence that when you change the L and T around in LaTin you get (i)TaLin » Itali ?
This rather than saying that Italia comes from Vitela .
This rather than saying that Italia comes from Vitela .
Italian & Portugese Lexical Similarities
Interesting, but probably just a coincidence Jo.
One thing that annoys me is that some Italians have this distorted notion that speakers of other romance languages must, or should speak Italian; yet the Italians make little effort to speak to someone new they meet in another romance language. It's almost like their attitude is 'you must speak my language, not me speak yours', because if I do then I'll be stooping too low. They feel that their language is somehow superior, when it is not. If anyone should feel superior it is the Spanish and Portuguese speakers, since they speak modern 'major world languages'. It is the Italians that should be looking up to them, as the Iberian languages (Spanish/Portuguese) are the languages of the future.
One thing that annoys me is that some Italians have this distorted notion that speakers of other romance languages must, or should speak Italian; yet the Italians make little effort to speak to someone new they meet in another romance language. It's almost like their attitude is 'you must speak my language, not me speak yours', because if I do then I'll be stooping too low. They feel that their language is somehow superior, when it is not. If anyone should feel superior it is the Spanish and Portuguese speakers, since they speak modern 'major world languages'. It is the Italians that should be looking up to them, as the Iberian languages (Spanish/Portuguese) are the languages of the future.
I actually never met an Italian that expected me to speak Italian, unless I was in Italy, of course.
But then again, that happens in other Romance countries as well, as we all know. Somehow, they all expect some sort of effort in this regard.
But then again, that happens in other Romance countries as well, as we all know. Somehow, they all expect some sort of effort in this regard.
Spanish and Italian are closer to each other in phonology than to Portuguese and Spanish are lexically closer to each other than to Italian but Italian and Portuguese are closer to each other than to Spanish in Syntax or word order and the two agree with each other in word usage. Check the sample text below.
Italian
Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti. Essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono agire gli uni verso gli altri in spirito di fratellanza.
Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.
Spanish
Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Even Brazilian Portuguese which is said to be closer to Spanish than Continental Portuguese shows that its syntax and word usage are closer to Italian than to Spanish.
Italian
Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti. Essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono agire gli uni verso gli altri in spirito di fratellanza.
Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.
Spanish
Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Even Brazilian Portuguese which is said to be closer to Spanish than Continental Portuguese shows that its syntax and word usage are closer to Italian than to Spanish.
Spanish and Italian are closer to each other in phonology than to Portuguese and Spanish and Portuguese are lexically closer to each other than to Italian but Italian and Portuguese are closer to each other than to Spanish in syntax or word order and the two agree with each other in word usage. Check the sample text below.
Italian
Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti. Essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono agire gli uni verso gli altri in spirito di fratellanza.
Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.
Spanish
Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Even Brazilian Portuguese which is said to be closer to Spanish than to Continental Portuguese shows that its syntax and word usage are closer to Italian than to Spanish.
Italian
Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed eguali in dignità e diritti. Essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono agire gli uni verso gli altri in spirito di fratellanza.
Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.
Spanish
Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Even Brazilian Portuguese which is said to be closer to Spanish than to Continental Portuguese shows that its syntax and word usage are closer to Italian than to Spanish.
The French do that too, as do the Spanish especially in LA.
¿Really? That's good.
¿Really? That's good.
«Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.»
Both sentences are correct in European Portuguese, both are written in Portuguese tout court.
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e em direitos. Dotados de razão e de consciência, devem agir uns para com os outros em espírito de fraternidade.
Brazilian Portuguese
Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. São dotados de razão e consciência e devem agir em relação uns aos outros com espírito de fraternidade.»
Both sentences are correct in European Portuguese, both are written in Portuguese tout court.
I think Brazilian Portuguese sounds more gay than Portuguese of Pourtugal.
I'll try to explain it clearer. An Italian man in his 60s is walking down the sidewalk in a neighbourhood in Toronto let's say. He meets a Spanish or Portuguese speaking man in his 60s, who is also out for a walk on the sidewalk. They'll both speak broken, but more or less functional English. After a minute goes by, the Italian guy asks the Spanish or Portuguese guy, "do you speak Italian?", to which the others reply, "a little". When asked, the Italian then tells the Spanish or Portuguese guy that he speaks a little Spanish or Portuguese. Yet, the conversation invariably switches from English to Italian, not English to Spanish or Portuguese. I have seen this time and time again in neighbourhoods where I have worked. It's like some Italians think that by making the effort to speak another romance language they are dumbing themselves down, which of course is silly. I mean think about it.
All I know is this:
Spanish speakers can read Portuguese literature and understand it perfectly. Portuguese speakers can read Spanish literature and understand it perfectly. Totally mutually compatible.
Not so between Italian and the other two though.
Spanish speakers can read Portuguese literature and understand it perfectly. Portuguese speakers can read Spanish literature and understand it perfectly. Totally mutually compatible.
Not so between Italian and the other two though.
I'm astonished to see how some people try to reinvent the similarity between Romance languages in a few lines. Portuguese and Spanish belong to the same subbranch within the Romance language for a good reason. Linguists don't consider Italian part of the Iberian Romance family, so it can't be closer to Spanish than Portuguese is.
Hispanics cannot accept the fact the Italian and Portuguese are closer to each other than to Spanish. To tell you the truth the one who wrote that Spanish phrase was a pure Spaniard and the syntax is closer to Catalan than to either Italian or Portuguese.
Portuguese people are not Hispanics they are Latin people too just like Italian and they would be more happy if they hear that they are more akin to either Italian or French so back off hispanics.
Portuguese people are not Hispanics they are Latin people too just like Italian and they would be more happy if they hear that they are more akin to either Italian or French so back off hispanics.