Portuguese language expansion in São Tomé and Príncipe: an overview

Abstract

This paper describes how the Portuguese language came to be widely spoken in the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe and demonstrates how the spread of Portuguese language can be associated with the endangerment of other languages in the archipelago. A country that has been multilingual since its formation has moved towards monolingualism, marginalizing native languages or pushing them into obsolescence in the process. Based on a literature review, we suggest that the spread of Portuguese and its consolidation as the dominant language are associated with a complex socio-historical process, including urbanization, mass schooling, media and the desire of local elites to remain connected to an imperial language and the benefits of such a connection. The choice of the ruling elite to adopt Portuguese as the official language in the young republic in 1975 effectively created the mechanisms for the diffusion of Portuguese and set the stage for the endangerment of other local languages.

São Tomé and Príncipe’s toponymy

“…Language and Culture, v. 43, e56485, 2021 are more frequently used than in the more urbanized districts (Bouchard, 2017). This dominance reinforces the presence of Portuguese in different parts of STP, not just in the capital or in urban areas, and shows its nationwide spread (Araujo, 2020b).…”

“…Angolar (aoa) is the language of the descendants of slaves who fled the mills and formed maroon communities. Other groups of speakers were taken to Príncipe Island and Ano Bom Island, where local conditions contributed to their speciation, giving rise to Lung'Ie (pre) and Fa d'Ambô (fab), respectively (Araujo, 2020b). In addition, Kabuverdianu (kea), the heritage language of the descendants of workers from Cape Verde, who arrived there in the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century, is spoken in the archipelago, mainly in Príncipe Island (Agostinho, 2016).…”

Multilingualism in Sao Tomé and Principe: Use of Subtitling Approach

“…Centrándonos más en el forro, que es la lengua escogida para esta investigación por ser el criollo más extendido (Araujo, 2020;Bouchard, 2022, p. 167), cabe decir que cuenta con cierta tradición escrita conformada por adivinanzas, proverbios, poemas, canciones, historias cortas o textos ligados a alguna manifestación cultural del país (Cardoso et al, 2015). Bouchard (2017 y 2020) señala que muchas personas han aprendido forro estando en el extranjero y lo utilizan como marca de identidad, pues lo consideran una herramienta de unión de santotomenses en la diáspora que les distingue de otros hablantes de portugués.…”

Proparoxítonas no português de São Tomé e Príncipe

“…Segundo dados do INE (2016), em 2015, a população do país era de aproximadamente 197.700 habitantes. Ocupada de forma regular a partir da chegada de colonizadores portugueses nos últimos anos do século XV, ali se desenvolveu uma língua crioula, o protocrioulo do Golfo da Guiné, que, posteriormente, especiou-se em quatro línguas (Araujo 2020;Bandeira 2017;Ferraz 1979). Três das quais ainda são faladas no território: o santome ou forro (cri), o angolar ou lungwa ngola (aoa) e o principense ou lung'Ie (pre) (Bandeira et al 2021).…”

“…Adicionalmente, ainda é falado o kabuverdianu (kev), língua dos descendentes de trabalhadores contratados oriundos de Cabo Verde (Freitas et al 2021). Contudo, desde 1975, o português tem se tornado a língua majoritária, sendo usada, no século XXI, pela totalidade da população (Araujo 2020;Balduino 2022;Bouchard 2017). O português igualmente é língua de alto prestígio social, do sistema de educação, da mídia e dos atos do Estado.…”