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Portuguese is the 3rd most popular imported European language in Africa, after French and English. Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome are all Portuguese speaking. While Spanish, is only spoken in tiny Equatorial Guinea and the western sahara of Morocco.
Portuguese is the 3rd most popular imported European language in Africa, after French and English. Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome are all Portuguese speaking. While Spanish, is only spoken in tiny Equatorial Guinea and the western sahara of Morocco.
Also in the Canary Islands and the cities of Melilla and Ceuta. They are in Spain and part of the African continent.
Btw, I think Spain's attitude towards Western Sahara is dispicable, though in part created by the Western Saharan as they were very anti-Spain. Now they have to deal with the Moroccans and they basically are on a losing streak. Very different from how Spain takes a more protective role with the rest of the Spanish-speaking community including Equatorial Guinea. Even Equatorial Guineans are included in certain preferential treatments that the Spanish government gives to Hispanic Americans on the basis of being from a former Spanish colony. Among these is the priviledge of being able to apply for Spanish citizenship with just two years living in Spain, while all other foreigners have to live in Spain for at least 10 years. Even Puerto Ricans are included in this, despite all are US citizens and not many go for Spaniah citizenship or live in Spain. Gaining Spanish citizenship opens up the rest of the EU since no limits are placed for any EU citizen to move, work, etc in any of the EU countries. That means greater pay since in many EU countries jobs pay more than in Spain. People from former Spanish colonies also have it easier to get residential visas at the Spanish Embassy in their countries.
A few years ago when the DR was feeling attacked by several groups from abroad mostly in its image, the first one to officially react to this was the Spanish ambassador (forgot his name, but his last name is Lacalle) and said in television that whomever attacks the DR, they are attacking Spain. That was basically a threat that anything that would be done to jeopardize the DR will get a rebuttal not just from the DR, but also from Spain. The Spanish government basically assumed this.
Portuguese is the 3rd most popular imported European language in Africa, after French and English. Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Sao Tome are all Portuguese speaking. While Spanish, is only spoken in tiny Equatorial Guinea and the western sahara of Morocco.
It depends on the metric. My understanding is that, in Africa, French and English aren't typically spoken as first languages but as second or third languages. As far as native speakers of Portuguese vs English and French in Africa, Portuguese appears to outnumber them both. As per wikipedia:
I think how many native speakers of those languages is closely tied to how long certain parts of Africa have been colonized by their countries of origin. Africa was the last place to be colonized by most European countries with a colonization tendency and Africa lasted the shortest under colonial rule than anywhere else in the world.
By contrast, the place that has been colonized for the longest time are The Americas. Guess in what part of the world have the greatest imprint of the colonial ways of the Europeans? Not only are the European languages the main ones and often the only ones of most of the people, it’s the region where the imprint of Europe is the greatest outside of Europe such as most of the people significantly descend from the European, often mixed with something else but nowhere so vast in the world is the European genetic mark so extended outside of Europe and minus a few small demographic islands in Africa and Asia (Oceania is probably the most European continent outside Europe because of the demographic weight of places like Australia and New Zealand).
Even in South Africa which is one of the most European influenced country in Sub-Saharan Africa, between the whites and the mixed with European they continue to be a small minority. The vast majority of South Africans have no real connection to Europe.
I really enjoyed this thread. Just reading about the different countries and their language evolutions based on circumstance. Very interesting thread and I hope others have contributions. I am fascinated with Africa in many respects and enjoy learning about it.
I wonder with the eight years since they conducted that poll, in light of the very large proportion of the population being very young, the lower life expectancy of previous generations, school curriculum in Portuguese and increasing urbanization if language usage have dramatically shifted even more heavily towards Portuguese.
Add the fact that in Angola they watch all the bigs Brazilian TV shows and listen brazilians musics daily in the local radios stations.
I think how many native speakers of those languages is closely tied to how long certain parts of Africa have been colonized by their countries of origin. Africa was the last place to be colonized by most European countries with a colonization tendency and Africa lasted the shortest under colonial rule than anywhere else in the world.
By contrast, the place that has been colonized for the longest time are The Americas. Guess in what part of the world have the greatest imprint of the colonial ways of the Europeans? Not only are the European languages the main ones and often the only ones of most of the people, it’s the region where the imprint of Europe is the greatest outside of Europe such as most of the people significantly descend from the European, often mixed with something else but nowhere so vast in the world is the European genetic mark so extended outside of Europe and minus a few small demographic islands in Africa and Asia (Oceania is probably the most European continent outside Europe because of the demographic weight of places like Australia and New Zealand).
Even in South Africa which is one of the most European influenced country in Sub-Saharan Africa, between the whites and the mixed with European they continue to be a small minority. The vast majority of South Africans have no real connection to Europe.
Except for the cape province of South Africa and Northern Cape province too. A majority of the people are Coloureds, or mixed race peoples. Even Cape town they represent a majority of people. The coloureds first emerged after the Europeans settled there and mixed with the natives. Yet a large proportion of Whites there also have a bit of native African background too, but only one is classified White if you look white. It was not the so called 1% drop rule that was applied in the USA many years ago. In apparthied this was the official policy. Whole families were split up according to appearance, and the darker ones were classified as coloured, and the European looking ones were classified as white. One is classified coloured if you look coloured, and one is classified Black if you look black, etc. One of the test the Aparthied government did to racially classify people is to put a pen on peoples hair. If the pen fell off they will be classified as a certain race, and stayed on a person head they were classified as a different race. Yet the White South AFricans that have a bit of native in them are usually in denial of it.
South Africa also got lots of people from Portuguese speaking Africa, too and is commonly spoken among speakers there.
Last edited by herenow1; 05-03-2022 at 04:18 PM..
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