Why is Portuguese the major official language of Brazil?
Brazilians speak Portuguese because Portugal conquered the area that is today known as Brazil in the 16th century. Though Portuguese settlers and the indigenous population intermarried, Portuguese became the dominant language.Treaty of TordesillasAfter Columbus revealed the existence of the Americas, a trip that Spain financed, Portugal asked the Pope, Alexander VI, to prevent Spain from dominating the new lands. In 1494, Alexander VI granted the eastern half of the Americas (unless already claimed by a Christian monarch) to Portugal.Official LanguagesPortugal began sending colonists to what would become Brazil. These settlers intermarried with the Native Americans, and in the early years of the colony, both Portuguese and Tupi, a language spoken by coastal Native Americans, served as official languages for the Portuguese colony.Outlawing of TupiTupi had gained prominence because Jesuit priests who served as missionaries to the Native Americans learned and taught the language. In 1757
