Did you know that Portuguese is one of the most widespread languages in the world, with more than 265 million speakers across continents? It is also the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.

Portuguese is an official language in nine countries: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

In 2009, May 5 was officially designated “Portuguese Language Day” by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, known in Portuguese as the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP), the intergovernmental organization representing countries where Portuguese is an official language.

Ten years later, in 2019, UNESCO designated May 5 as “World Portuguese Language Day” (Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa).

At Lancaster, the day is closely connected to the work of the Camões Institute Chair (Cátedra Camões) for Multilingualism and Diversity. Officially launched in June 2023, the Lancaster Cátedra promotes research on multilingualism and raises awareness of the benefits of speaking more than one language. Its activities include academic events, workshops for teachers and parents, support for research on multilingualism, mobility between the UK and Portugal, and public-facing materials that share research findings more widely.

Professor Patrick Rebuschat, Director of Lancaster’s Camões Institute Chair, said: “One of the missions of Lancaster’s Camões Institute Chair is to raise awareness of, and celebrate, the many varieties of Portuguese spoken across the globe. On World Portuguese Language Day, we recognize Portuguese not only as a global language, but also as a language of diversity, creativity, and connection. Feliz Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa! Happy World Portuguese Language Day!”

Lancaster has long-standing ties to Portugal. You can learn more on the webpage of the Camões Institute Chair for Multilingualism and Diversity, or email catedra-camoes@lancaster.ac.uk.