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The Portuguese controlled
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
until 1961, when
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
took over. Only a very small fraction of Goans speak Portuguese nowadays. Although an essential religious language, there were 1,500 students learning Portuguese in Goa in 2015; totaling a number of 10,000 – 12,000 Portuguese speakers in the state.


History

The history of the
Portuguese language Portuguese ( or ) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family originating from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is the official language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tom� ...
in Goa can be traced back to the 15th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese and their rule in the region for over 400 years. Under Portuguese rule, Portuguese was used extensively in government and in the education system. In addition to official government media, Portuguese was also used by religious missionaries, coexisting with many other native languages.


After 1961

Portuguese rule in Goa came to an end in 1961 after the annexation of Portuguese Goa by Indian armed forces. There was a very complicated impasse halting the use of Portuguese, which ceased to be the official language. '' O Heraldo'', the Portuguese-language daily newspaper in Goa was renamed ''The Herald'' and adopted the use of English. Portuguese was used along with English in subordinate legislation in the State Gazette until the year 1972, when it was replaced by Marathi and Konkani. Portuguese remained one of the languages of the Subordinate Courts along with Marathi and Konkani until 1969. In 1964, under the aegis of the Bombay High Court, a program was started to retrain Goan Judges, Lawyers, and Court officials, to write and understand pleadings in English, to enable the eventual abolition of Portuguese as language of pleadings in 1969–70. There was a strengthening of diplomatic relations between
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
and
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
after 1974, with the installation of Portuguese institutions such as the
Consulate-General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...
in
Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...
in 1992 and the Instituto Português do Oriente and Fundação Oriente. Because of this, there was once again demand for the Portuguese language.


Other legacies

The presence of the language over the years in the
Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...
is with a small population of native speakers. Other legacies such as street names, were left untouched. In the city of
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
, the most populous
Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...
city, surnames like Mascarenhas and Souza are quite common in the territory, and stand as a testimony to the Portuguese occupancy. It's debatable whether the Goan territory formed an Indo-Portuguese Creole, unlike other regions of India and of the world where there was sustained Portuguese contact with local populations. Some authors such as Theban (1985) and Thomas (1995) consider, unlike Holm (1989) and Clemens (1996, 2000), that the very strong pressure from the Portuguese, in the official language and education, would have prevented the formation of a creole Portuguese in Goa. However, according to Rita Marquilhas (1998), in places where it has remained under the administration of Portugal until the mid-twentieth century—such as Goa—there was a "de- Creolisation" since various language structures were approaching the Portuguese spoken in Portugal and only traces remained in what is now the variety of Portuguese spoken by some
Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...
communities. The very
Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...
identity remains linked to several other legacies left by Portuguese colonization, as the characteristics of Goa, as a way of life different from the rest of the country. In addition, there exists a presence of architectural elements and a large and significant
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
community which consists of most Native Goans. After 1961 immigration from other parts of India changed the demographics of Goa leading to the Native Goans becoming 25-30% of the population and the majority of the state following
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, an estimated 25% to 30% of the 1.4 million living in
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
are
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Churches, convents, and
Portuguese forts This article will list all fortifications that were built, partially built, or ordered to be built by the Portuguese people, Portuguese throughout the globe. All forts in this list are outside the modern territory of Portugal, and were built fo ...
are scattered throughout the territory of Goa, which adds even more diversity for a country that is already rich in contrasts, as is the case in India.


Current situation

Despite centuries of domination exercised by Portugal, unlike what happened in other Portuguese colonies elsewhere, the Portuguese language failed to spread among the vast majority of the population, remaining as the language of administration and a small literate elite. Today, the Portuguese situation in Goa is much more dramatic. Generation after generation, the number of speakers has decreased dramatically. Since the military conquest of the colony by India in 1961, the Portuguese language has been progressively replaced by
Konkani __NOTOC__ Konkani may refer to: Language * Konkani language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India. * Konkani alphabets, different scripts used to write the language **Konkani in the Roman script, one of the scripts used to ...
(the official language of Goa) and English (one of the two official languages of the federal administration of India). Currently, the Portuguese language is spoken by a small community in Goa, although it is uncertain to know the exact number of people in Goa who can speak this language. Recently, attempts are now made to revive the language in Goa, including project-tests in secondary schools and artistic entities, or those of a tourist nature. Currently, the Portuguese language is learned in official and private education. After 1961, decades after decolonization, Portugal failed to support the teaching of the language in the Goan schools. This started a reversal trend, where Portuguese has been encouraged in schools, with the support of the Orient Foundation, and the University of Goa which has a master's degree in Portuguese studies since 1988. There are also many free courses to promote the Portuguese language, such as Communicare Trust in Dona Paula, English Language Center Instituto Camões, in Panjim, the capital, the Language Centre and the Portuguese Culture Parvatibai Chowgule College in
Margao Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa, and administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district. It is Goa's second largest ci ...
, the Friendship Society Indo-Portuguese (Indo-Portuguese Friendship Society). According to the director of Camões of the Portuguese Language Centre and reader at the
Goa University Goa University is a public state university headquartered in the city of Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa. The traditions of Goa University date back to the 17th century,Prôa, Miguel Pires. "Escolas Superiores" Portuguesas Antes de 1950 ...
Delfim Correia da Silva, there is a gradual and steady increase in the number of pupils learning Portuguese in Goa, in a trend that has been found to significantly increase over the last eight to ten years. This trend is driven mainly by cultural and professional reasons, for opportunities linked to Brazil, Portugal,
Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
and
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
. In Goa, the small number of Portuguese language speakers are united by a desire to affirm their identity and strengthen the bonds of their long encounter with the Portuguese. Even today, the Portuguese language is a sign of prestige and social status: one who speaks Portuguese is considered an elite. Currently, Portuguese is spoken and taught as a second language for a small, but significant, and important collective of Goans.


See also

* Instituto Português do Oriente *
Goan Catholics Goan Catholics () are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community adhering to the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konka ...
* Archdiocese of Goa and Damaon *
Konkani language agitation The Konkani language agitations were a series of protests in India, concerning the uncertain future of the Konkani language. They were held by Goans in the former territory of Goa, Daman and Diu; then under the administration of the Maharashtr ...
*
Konkani language Konkani, (Devanagari: , Konkani in the Roman script, Romi: , Kannada script, Kannada: , Koleluttu: , Nastaliq: ; IAST: , ) formerly Concani or Concanese, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily i ...
*
India–Portugal relations Relations between India and Portugal began amicably in 1947 when the former achieved independence. Relations went into decline after 1950 over Portugal's refusal to surrender its exclaves of Goa, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli on India ...
* Luso-Indians * Portuguese language in Asia * Norteiro Indo-Portuguese languages * Lusophony Games *
RTP Internacional RTP Internacional (RTPi) is a Portuguese free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP). It is the company's international television service, and is known for broadcas ...
* Sporting de Goa * Indians in Portugal * British Goans * Fundação Oriente * Goa State Central Library *
Portuguese East Indies The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...


References


External links


A língua portuguesa está a ter uma morte lenta na Índia
{{Portuguese dialects Culture of Goa Portuguese dialects
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...