Comments on: How Much Energy Will It Take to Make Portuguese Go Global? http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/ COHA is an NGO specialized in monitoring Latin American and Canadian Relations for more than 30 years... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:22:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Gerhard Seibert http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/comment-page-1/#comment-35336 Gerhard Seibert Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:05:20 +0000 http://www.coha.org/?p=7576#comment-35336 Fernando, It is true that the official language Portuguese is the principal requirement to become a full member state of the 8-member Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). However, as far as I know the Obiang Nguema regime has not yet formally introduced Portuguese as the country's 3rd official language. During a visit in Lisbon in early 2009 Malabo's foreign minister Pastor Ondo Bile declared that "According to how the learning [of Portuguese] develops, we shall be able to consider Portuguese as the country's third language". See the respective information at <a href="http://www.agencialusa.com.br/index.php?iden=21792" target="_blank">http://www.agencialusa.com.br/index.php?iden=2179...</a> Fernando, It is true that the official language Portuguese is the principal requirement to become a full member state of the 8-member Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP). However, as far as I know the Obiang Nguema regime has not yet formally introduced Portuguese as the country's 3rd official language. During a visit in Lisbon in early 2009 Malabo's foreign minister Pastor Ondo Bile declared that "According to how the learning [of Portuguese] develops, we shall be able to consider Portuguese as the country's third language". See the respective information at http://www.agencialusa.com.br/index.php?iden=2179…

]]> By: Fernando Aboga http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/comment-page-1/#comment-35301 Fernando Aboga Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:16:13 +0000 http://www.coha.org/?p=7576#comment-35301 Gerhard, I browsed around a bit and it seems that Portuguese is, in fact, one of Equatorial Guinea's official languages. I found several articles from Equatorial Guinea's newspapers corroborating this info. Below follows one of the links that I found: <a href="http://www.guinea-ecuatorial.net/ms/main.asp?cd=ni5407" target="_blank">http://www.guinea-ecuatorial.net/ms/main.asp?cd=n...</a> Although you may consider it nonsense, it was President-dictator Teodoro Obiang Ngumema himself who announced that his government had decided to make Portuguese Equatorial Guinea's third official language. The alleged reasons was to meet the requirements to apply for full membership of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Gerhard, I browsed around a bit and it seems that Portuguese is, in fact, one of Equatorial Guinea's official languages. I found several articles from Equatorial Guinea's newspapers corroborating this info. Below follows one of the links that I found:
http://www.guinea-ecuatorial.net/ms/main.asp?cd=n…

Although you may consider it nonsense, it was President-dictator Teodoro Obiang Ngumema himself who announced that his government had decided to make Portuguese Equatorial Guinea's third official language. The alleged reasons was to meet the requirements to apply for full membership of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

]]> By: Gerhard Seibert http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/comment-page-1/#comment-35290 Gerhard Seibert Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:36:21 +0000 http://www.coha.org/?p=7576#comment-35290 Completely wrong is the information about Equatorial Guinea. This Spanish-speaking country has not yet imposed Portuguese as the third official language (the second is French, imposed by the local dictatorship in 1998). The majority Creole spoken in Eq. Guinea is pidji, an English-based Creole language that is lingua franca in Bioko island. Fá d´ambô, the Portuguese based Creole to which the author possibly refers is only spoken on the tiny island of Annobón (17 sqkm, 2,000 inhabitants). In Eqatorial Guinea nobody speaks Portuguese. To indroduce Portuguese as official language in this country would be the same nonsense as the introduction of Spanish as official language in Cape Verde or in Ghana. Completely wrong is the information about Equatorial Guinea. This Spanish-speaking country has not yet imposed Portuguese as the third official language (the second is French, imposed by the local dictatorship in 1998). The majority Creole spoken in Eq. Guinea is pidji, an English-based Creole language that is lingua franca in Bioko island. Fá d´ambô, the Portuguese based Creole to which the author possibly refers is only spoken on the tiny island of Annobón (17 sqkm, 2,000 inhabitants). In Eqatorial Guinea nobody speaks Portuguese. To indroduce Portuguese as official language in this country would be the same nonsense as the introduction of Spanish as official language in Cape Verde or in Ghana.

]]> By: Gerhard Seibert http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/comment-page-1/#comment-35289 Gerhard Seibert Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:34:50 +0000 http://www.coha.org/?p=7576#comment-35289 Some of the affirmations made in this article are not correct. The author bases his calculation of people speaking Portuguese on the population figures of the eight Portuguese-speaking countries. This of course is not accurate, as in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe and East Timor Portuguese is only the official language, but not necessarily the language spoken and understood by the entire population. On the contrary, in Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and East-Timor only a minority of the population speaks Portuguese. In the six countries, even people who speak Portuguese in daily life frequently use their mother tongue or the local lingua franca. The author mentions nine Portuguese-speaking countries, but there are only eight. It is also not correct that all CPLP member states have ratified the Acordo Ortográfico, because Angola and Mozambique have not yet ratified this treaty. Some of the affirmations made in this article are not correct. The author bases his calculation of people speaking Portuguese on the population figures of the eight Portuguese-speaking countries. This of course is not accurate, as in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe and East Timor Portuguese is only the official language, but not necessarily the language spoken and understood by the entire population. On the contrary, in Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and East-Timor only a minority of the population speaks Portuguese. In the six countries, even people who speak Portuguese in daily life frequently use their mother tongue or the local lingua franca.
The author mentions nine Portuguese-speaking countries, but there are only eight.
It is also not correct that all CPLP member states have ratified the Acordo Ortográfico, because Angola and Mozambique have not yet ratified this treaty.

]]> By: Lawrence La Fountain http://www.coha.org/could-energy-factors-make-portuguese-go-global/comment-page-1/#comment-35279 Lawrence La Fountain Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:27:27 +0000 http://www.coha.org/?p=7576#comment-35279 Thank you for this interesting article. I have found Portuguese to be very useful and enjoyable and promote its teaching and learning. Thank you for this interesting article. I have found Portuguese to be very useful and enjoyable and promote its teaching and learning.

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