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Teaching Portuguese Language in Cape Verde

Dr Jorge Pinto (University of Lisbon) talks with students about the language situation in Cape Verde and strategies for the teaching of Portuguese.

In Cape Verde two closely related languages or dialects are used by the same linguistic community. This diglossic situation includes Portuguese, the official language, and Cape Verdean Creole (or Kriolu), which is the “national language,” also known to Cape Verdeans as “the language of the heart” or the “mother tongue.” 

Kriolu is used among family, friends, and in informal situations; it is the language of choice in Cape Verde, but everyone comprehends Portuguese. In addition to legal and government situations, Portuguese is used in schools, hotels, banks, and many other workplaces, as well as on television. 

Cape Verdeans have to use both languages on a daily basis; they speak in Kriolu but read signs in Portuguese. They must consistently select the language according to the context. Today, there is some resistance towards Portuguese as the only of cial language of Cape Verde because both Portuguese and Kriolu are consistently used. 

Portuguese language tends to be taught as a first language, which makes it difficult to learn, because students are expected to acquire the second as if it were the first.

* The session will be held in Portuguese

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