The establishment of the French language in Portugal dates back to the end of the 19th century, marked by major social transformations. In this article, we retrace its path, exploring its emergence and development over the decades.
The evolution of the French language in Portugal
Visit Nineteenth centuryThe Portuguese bourgeoisie chose to adopt the habits and customs of the nobility, including learning French, a symbol of elegance and refinement at the time. This tradition continued until 1947, when the teaching of French in Portugal began at secondary school, followed by English for three years. Twenty years later, a first reform granted equal status to both languages. In 1989, the government abolished the obligation to learn French, offering students the choice of four foreign languages: French, English, German and Spanish. Despite the predominance of English, French takes second place with 54.4 % of students, which is still significant.
Isabelle Bareno and Catherine Clément, in an article published in the International Review of Education that "when learning languages at school, the choice of language for international communication is a priority for countries whose national language is not a lingua franca of primary importance in global relations".
Although the country is following this trend, the persistence of French over English is explained by the strong presence of French culture. Aware that it is lagging behind European policies in language education, the country has reinstated the obligation to choose a second language from CM2 to 3e.
In 2001, following the implementation of the decree law, the Ministry of Education noted that around 100,000 additional students had chosen French as a second language. Although English remains the preferred language at the lycée, French is still present, with 166,000 students taking French compared to 33,250. In addition, high school students have the option of choosing a third language, with around 50,000 opting for French, compared with 20,000 for English.
The French language has a bright future ahead of it in Portugal. It's common to find young people fluent in our language in shops and businesses, although the Portuguese with the best command of French are often senior citizens. This trend is set to grow, particularly with the increasing number of French companies (BNP, Natexis, Webhelp, etc.) setting up shop in Portugal.
