Portuguese Language Museum

Languages evolve and are shaped by a culture's interaction with the natural world and other societies.

Brazilian Portuguese is a fascinating examples of this. From its Portuguese origins, the language has been shaped by its interaction with native tribes, African slaves, Spanish neighbors, French and British traders, Japanese and European immigrants, American popular culture, the digital age, among others, the language continues to change. 

Each of these interactions brings new words to the Brazilian form of the Portuguese language, which can be traced at the Portuguese language Museum in Sao Paulo. 

Within the museum there is a timeline, from the 16th century to the present, that tracks when words were introduced into the language and the historical events that brought them them.

There is also a section that traces the origins of Portuguese words back to their original language. It was impressive to see how much the indigenous languages of the Brazilian coast continue to be reflected in the language today. 

If you are near Sao Paulo, the museum is definitely worth checking out. Located in the Estação da Luz, it is easy to get to from anywhere in the Metro system. There´s also a piano in the train station´s entrance that anyone can play.

Or just use the piano bench as a bench

The whole time that I was in the museum I kept thinking to myself how cool an American English museum would be to trace the language's development and explore how the digital age has impacted it.