Rebirth of the Portuguese Language in Timor-Leste | United Nations скачать в хорошем качестве

Rebirth of the Portuguese Language in Timor-Leste | United Nations

The United Nations document the rebirth of the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste. In Dili, the country's capital, UN News spoke to Timorese who have learned the language over the past 20 years, lawmakers, authorities and linguists; the former rector of the National University says that Portuguese is now recognized as the language of Timorese youth. A legacy that contributed to the fight for independence. A strategic choice in the geopolitical scenario. A source of connection with the national soul. This is how several Timorese people described the role of the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste, the nation in Southeast Asia. A former colony of Portugal, East Timor was annexed by Indonesia in the 1970s. In 2002, the country restored its independence and decided to make Portuguese its official language. The preservation and expansion of the language on this remote island reinforces the message of Mother Language Day 2025, which emphasizes linguistic diversity. The power of language through generations Within the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), one of the most active areas of cooperation is education. During a visit to the National University of Timor-Leste in Dili, UN News spoke to the institution's former rector, Benjamin Corte Real, who highlighted the rejuvenation of Portuguese through the education system. “The language has been rejuvenated a lot in Timor. There is an older generation that reaffirmed the language after our independence. A generation that had to reclaim the language because it stopped practicing and learning the language. A generation that started learning from the roots. And that is the generation that is now arriving at universities. Therefore, the language is constantly rejuvenating itself. Today, it is already the language of the youth.” The language that returned to the nation as an official language had to be learned from scratch by an entire generation that spoke Bahasa Indonesia, after the annexation of the neighboring nation, in addition to Tetum and other Timorese languages. But when it returned to the school curriculum, the learning of Portuguese gained momentum.