Portuguese language is one of the Romance languages. Like all other languages of this group, Portuguese is a direct modern descendant of Latin, the vernacular Latin of the Roman soldiers and settlers rather than the classical Latin of the cultured Roman citizens. It developed in ancient Gallaeci (modern Galicia, in northwestern Spain) and in northern Portugal, and then spread throughout present-day Portugal.

Portuguese owes its importance (as the second Romance language, after Spanish, in terms of numbers of speakers) largely to its position as the language of Brazil.

Approximately 200 million people speak Portuguese as their native tongue worldwide making it the third most spoken European language. Apart from the Portuguese themselves, the language is also spoken in parts of Africa including Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau as well as in East Timor in Asia. It is also the language of the island-nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, in the Gulf of Guinea.

There are five main Portuguese dialect groups: (1) Northern, or Galician, (2) Central, or Beira, (3) Southern (including Lisbon, Alentejo and Algarve), (4) Insular (including the dialects of Madeira and the Azores and (5) Brazilian.

Typical of the Portuguese sound system is the use of nasal vowels, indicated in the orthography by ‘m’ or ‘n’ following the vowel (e.g., sim "yes", bem "well") or by the use of a tilde (~) over the vowel (mão "hand", nação "nation").

Portuguese is a beautiful language often being described as ‘the sweet language’ by European literary figures. Why not give it a try while you enjoy your holiday? If you would like to learn a few words and phrases to help you on your travels, check out our brief guide to Speaking Portuguese.

Romanesque and Gothic influences have given Portugal some of its greatest cathedrals, which are fantastic places to visit while on holiday. In the late 16th century a national style (estilo Manuelino) was synthesised by adapting several forms into an elaborate and flamboyant style of architecture.

Outstanding examples of Portuguese architecture include Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) in Lisbon, in ornate Manueline style; Sé Catedral (Cathedral) in Lisbon, the facade of which partially exhibits remains of Romanesque construction; Mosteiro de Alcobaça (Alcobaça Monastery); Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ) in Tomar; the late Portuguese Gothic abbey of Mosteiro da Batalha (Batalha Monastery); Torre dos Clérigos (Tower of the Clergy) in Porto and Sé Catedral de Braga – Braga's Romanesque cathedral.

Two contemporary architects have achieved worldwide fame for the originality, concept and functionality of their designs. Álvaro Siza Vieira is famous for Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira and the Contemporary Art Museum in Porto – Museu de Serralves. Eduardo Souto Moura is mostly famous for his residential projects, though recently he designed the new Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, a museum dedicated to this renowned Portuguese painter.

Both Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura have been awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize by the Hyatt Foundation for their outstanding work in architecture, in 1992 and 2011, respectively.

Portuguese literature is distinguished by a wealth of lyrical poetry, prose and verse. Literature has always been widely celebrated in Portugal and following the Roman occupation there was an abundance of historical writing that documented the country’s rulers, conquests and development.

The early cancioneiros ("song-books") evidence a school of love poetry that spread with the language to Spain at a time when Spanish literature was as yet undeveloped for lyrical purposes.

The romanceiro, on the other hand, was influenced by Spanish literature, though not sharing the latter's predilection for the heroic.

Probably the most notable of all epic poems is Os Lusíadas, a work of art by Luís Vaz de Camões, which was first printed in 1572.

The medieval lyric, the plays of Gil Vicente, verses describing the beautiful countryside, Portuguese prose of the 16^th century and, above all, Os Lusíadas, are expressions of a clearly defined national identity.

When considering Portuguese literature of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, it’s important to mention the much-acclaimed writer José Saramago (1922–2010) who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1998. He is widely regarded as one of the finest Portuguese contemporary writers and caused much controversy with his style, which often presented subversive and alternative views to historical events. Another notable feature of Saramago’s work was his lack of proper punctuation and grammar, which gave him a distinct and experimental style of writing.

Another famous Portuguese writer who deserves a mention is the world-renowned poet, writer and journalist Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935), who was considered to be one of the leading literary figures of the 20^th century. Having been influenced by such great writers as Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth and Keats during his childhood, Fernando Pessoa developed an extraordinary style of writing. He was not just one poet, he created different poetic personalities, a type of alter ego that he referred to as heteronyms. These ‘other’ poets – Alberto Caeiro, Álvaro de Campos and Ricardo Reis – had their own voice, political views, age, professions, philosophies and writing style. He amassed a huge body of work during his lifetime writing as himself as well as using pseudonyms and remains a much-loved Portuguese figure.

Portuguese sculpture
This form of art can be best appreciated by studying the magnificent tombs of the 12th–15th centuries that are found around Portugal. In the late 18th century, Brazil was the main influence in Portuguese sculpture, noticeable in the increasing Baroque wooden sculptures that appeared during this time, particularly from the hands of the famous Portuguese artist, Machado de Castro (1731–1822).

The Classical and Romantic traditions of Italy and France left their influence on Machado de Castro in the late 18th century and António Soares dos Reis a century later.

Painting
A school of primitive painters headed by Nuno Gonçalves was prominent in the 15th century, and subsequently Flemish artists interpreted the native style, decorating palaces, convents and leaving a rich heritage of religious art.
The 19th century saw another rebirth of national art with a late Romantic period. An era of naturalist realism that followed gave way to rather diffuse experimentation in the 20th century.

Contemporary Art
There are several Portuguese contemporary artists that have marked a movement in the art world. Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908–1992) was the country's finest abstract painter and Carlos Botelho (1899–1982) was noted for his street scenes of Lisbon.

Paula Rego became famous for her “storytelling” in painting. She was projected to world-wide recognition after her series of “Dog Woman” in the 1990’s and “Abortion”.

Her art is shown all over the world in several museums, including Tate Modern in London and the new museum dedicated solely to her art, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, in Cascais.

Azulejos
Among the decorative arts, the Portuguese glazed tiles (azulejos) are outstanding. Many 16th and 17th century buildings are covered with tiles and the rooms and halls of palaces, as well as mansions exhibit blue and white tiled panels or motifs in other soft colours. Exceptionally fine examples are found in the Pátio da Carranca (courtyard of Carranca) of the Paço de Sintra (Palace of Sintra), São Roque church in Lisbon and the Quinta da Bacalhôa in Azeitão near Setúbal.