Lusophone

Lusophones (Portuguese: lusófonos) are people who speak the Portuguese language, either as native speakers or as learners. Similarly, the Lusosphere or Lusophony (Portuguese: Lusofonia) is a community of people who are culturally and linguistically linked to Portugal, either historically or by choice. The idea of a Lusosphere is free of ethnic connotations, in that a Lusophone may not have any Portuguese ancestry at all. The Lusophone world is mainly a legacy of the Portuguese Empire, although Portuguese diaspora and Brazilian diaspora communities have also played a role in spreading the Portuguese language. Even after the collapse of the empire, the corresponding countries continue to exhibit both cultural and political affinities, expressed in the existence of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLC), created in 1996.

Etymology

The term Lusophone is a classical compound, whereby the combining form "Luso-" derives from the Latin term for an area roughly corresponding to modern Portugal, called Lusitania. The suffix "-phone" derives from the Ancient Greek word φωνή (phōnē), meaning "voice". The use of the term Lusophone mirrors similar terms, such as Anglophone for English-speakers, Francophone for French-speakers, and Russophone for Russian-speakers. The term is sometimes used in reference to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, similar to the Francophonie.

Lusophone nations

Main article: List of countries where Portuguese is an official language

Map of the Portuguese-speaking world

Country	Population (2014 est.)
Brazil	202,656,788
Mozambique	24,692,144
Angola	24,300,000
Portugal	10,813,834
Guinea-Bissau	1,693,398
East Timor	1,201,542
Macau	587,914
Cape Verde	538,535
São Tomé and Príncipe	190,428
Total	266,674,583

N.B.:

1. Some linguists argue that Galician, spoken in Galicia, is really just a dialect of Portuguese; this naturally would make northwestern Spain a part of the Portuguese-speaking world, as well.
2. Macau is not a sovereign nation. It is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China (the other being Anglophone Hong Kong, a former British colony).
3. Equatorial Guinea adopted Portuguese as one of its official languages in 2007, being admitted to CPLC in 2014. The use of the Portuguese language in this country is still limited. A Portuguese creole is however intensively used, mainly in Annobon and Bioko islands.

See also

• Lusitanic
• Lusophone literature
• Lusophone music
• Lusophone name
• Lusophobia
• Geographic distribution of Portuguese

External links

• Words Without Borders explores Lusophone literature in translation
• "lusophone.org" free email for Portuguese-speakers around the world
• Flavours of Lusophony (Portuguese)