Language Policy in Portuguese-speaking Countries: Institutional Aspect

Saprykina Ol'ga Aleksandrovna Doctor of Philology Professor at the Department of Iberian Romance Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, p. 51 olgasaprykina@mail.ru

Introduction

Modern language policy in the countries of Portuguese speech is a continuation of ideological and political activity in the multidimensional space of lusophony. This activity has a historical dimension and is aimed at integrating the countries identified as Portuguese-speaking within the framework of the Commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking Countries.

The relevance of this study is related to an important direction in sociolinguistics, which addresses the issues of the existence of language within various state entities, with the recognition of the status of dialects as a historical category, their correlation with the national (official) language and native languages, as well as the relationship between linguistic and social structures.

The development of the presented problem is also relevant because it is included as an integral part in linguovariantology and ethnocultural linguamigratiology, the newest discipline in the field of which questions of the functioning of languages in conditions of intensive language contacts are raised.

The texts of the main legislative documents of the Portuguese language countries — state Constitutions - served as the material for this work. The analysis was also based on the acts of the Commonwealth of Portuguese Language countries — the Declaration of Unification and the Charter. Digital editions of updated Spelling dictionaries of Portuguese speaking countries were also considered.

The discussion of language policy measures in the period of modern history is widely included in Portuguese media, political and journalistic discourse. The creation of a linguistic environment and linguistic ideology are the basic themes of the media language. The print and electronic versions of Portuguese and Brazilian newspapers such as Di?rio de Not?cias, P?blico, Expresso, Folha de S?o Paulo, Veja regularly update relevant information.

1. Presentation of the object and methods of research

Language policy is usually understood as "systematic rational measures based on theoretical analysis, applied to the whole society and aimed at solving language problems in order to increase universal well-being" ^{[3, pp. 7-8]}. The implementation of language policy is connected with the government, which chooses the principles of behavior in relation to language. Language policy measures are applied in three directions — institutional, educational and economic.

The main goal of language policy is to create a favorable language environment for the state and the authorities engaged in political communication. The language environment is formed within the national state formations and, therefore, depends on the state structure.

The language environment is an integral area of national culture. Within the framework of language policy, the literary language is a powerful means of forming and constructing national and cultural identity.

The object of this study is the status of the Portuguese language in the countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking Countries.

The subject of the work is languages on the territory of the lusophone community that have the status of official, co-official, native and national (ethnically historical).

The approach to the study of language policy in this article is developed on the basis of the latest sociolinguistic research in the field of linguistic ecology, linguistic nationalism, linguistic ideology, bilingualism and multilingualism, prospects for the preservation of linguistic minorities, the possibility of language revival (E. Beshara, P. Bourdieu, M. A. Marusenko, etc.)

2. The institutional aspect of language policy. Analysis and results of the study

In the countries of the Portuguese language, there are documents that differ in content, level and degree of legislative impact. Thus, the main documents in which the question of language is raised are the basic laws of the countries of Portuguese speech — the constitution. National laws, laws of the regional level, acts, decrees issued by state institutions also have a great degree of influence.

There are several stages in the formation of language legislation in the Portuguese speaking countries:

• drafting and adoption or updating of constitutions and the appearance of articles on language in them;
• legislative initiatives of an integration nature aimed at supporting the Portuguese language;
• development and adoption of documents related to the unified language standard (in the field of spelling).

From an institutional (state) point of view, it is important to determine the status of a language. This need often arises in heterogeneous language communities.

Within the framework of language policy, the need to distinguish between the official language and the state language deserves attention.

The State language is understood as a language that "enjoys a legislative status in the state (in accordance with the constitution or a special law) mandatory in use in official spheres of life. Performs an integration function within the framework of a given state in the political, social and cultural fields, acting as its symbol. The status of the official language is usually given to the language of the titular nation. One language (in most countries) or several can be declared the state language" ^[4].

The official language is "the main language of the state used in legislation and official record keeping, legal proceedings, education, etc. in countries with a multinational population (for example, India, Canada, Switzerland). The constitutions determine which language(s) is official" ^{[1, p. 368]}.

It follows from these definitions that the state and official languages are similar, but may differ based on the sociolinguistic situation in the country. If the status of the official language is emphasized in a multilingual state, then mainly in mono-ethnic states, the titular (according to the constitution) nation determines the role of the state language. On the other hand, only in relation to the state language is its integration function and role as a state symbol highlighted. The official language is described as the language of a multinational State, endowed with various official functions.

The description of the official language was given by the French sociologist and ethnologist P. Bourdieu (1930-2002). The scientist, in particular, noted: "The official language is inextricably linked with the state. This applies both to his background and his social habits. It is in the process of the formation of the state that conditions are created for the formation of a unified and subordinate to the official language of the language market: this state language, mandatory in official situations and official spaces (at school, in administrative institutions, in political documents, etc.), acquires the status of a theoretical norm, which serves as an objective criterion for evaluating all language practices" ^[2].

In the field of language policy, attention is paid to language planning, which is related to the support and preservation of languages, the creation of a written language of non-written languages, the opening of bilingual schools and the development of appropriate language legislation.

In lusophone countries, it is customary to divide into the official language (l?ngua oficial), the co-official languages (l?nguas co-oficiais), the mother tongue (l?ngua matera) and the national language (l?ngua nacional).

Combinations of official, co-official, native (autochthonous) and national languages form complex configuration profiles. Language profiles vary in different Portuguese speaking countries.

In Portugal and Brazil, for example, Portuguese is considered the official language. The Constitution of the Portuguese Republic (with a population of 10.3 million people) in chapter XI of the section "Basic Principles" states that the official language in the country is Portuguese: A l?ngua oficial ? o Portugues ^[12].

In the Federal Republic of Brazil (population about 230 million people in 2023), in section IV in Chapter 13 of the Federal Constitution of Brazil, Portuguese is recognized as the official language in the country: A l?ngua portuguesa ? o idioma oficial da rep?blica federativa do Brasil ^[8]. In addition, the official language in Brazil is also the special language of the deaf and dumb LIBRAS (l?ngua brasileira dos sinais). In Brazil, great attention is paid to addressing the issues of access of deaf students to the labor market. These issues are constantly discussed not only in the press, but also in the scientific literature ^[7].

In the field of language planning in Brazil, great attention is paid to the development of languages of indigenous peoples, in particular, the Kaingang languages (a group of languages in the states of Sao Paulo, Paran?, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul — about 26 thousand people) and Guarani (mainly on the border with Paraguay; in general, Guarani about 5 million people speak). The lingua geral, which practically disappeared in the 20th century, does not remain without attention, which developed from tupinamba, turning into a language called Nyengatu.

Among the languages of Brazilian immigrants, the German dialects hunsr ? ckisch and pomerano stand out in terms of importance and distribution (about 900 thousand people in total). Talian, or the Venetic language, is still spoken in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina (the total number of speakers is about 1 million people). Brazil has about 180 autochthonous languages and about 30 immigrant languages.

Activities to support minority languages in Brazil are coordinated by the Institute for the Study and Development of Language Policy (Instituto de investigao e desenvolvimento em pol?tica lingu?stica), which is located in Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina. Under the Ministry of Culture of Brazil within the framework of the NationalThe Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Instituto do Patrim?nio Hist?rico e Art?stico Nacional) conducts descriptions of minority languages. The field of activity of this institute turned out to be the description of the Guarani — Mbaya language. In 2010, a National Description of Linguistic Diversity (Invent?rio nacional da diversidade lingu?stica) was prepared.

In the People's Republic of Angola, where about 25.8 million people live, Portuguese is recognized as the official (state) language along with the national languages — Kimbundu (Bantu language of 1.7 million people — spoken in the province of Luanda), Umbundu (Bantu language — about 6 million people, or 23% of the population — in the center and south of the country), kikongo (common in the exclave of Cabinda, also known as fiote — 8.24% of the population), kokwe (456 thousand people) and kwanyama (450 thousand people). The status of the Portuguese language is defined in section I in article XIX of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola (2010): "The official language of the Republic of Angola is Portuguese." The second paragraph of the same article says that the State recognizes and supports the study, teaching and use of other languages in Angola, as well as the main languages of international communication: 1. A l?ngua oficial da Rep?blica de Angola ? o portugu?s. 2. O Estado valoriza e promove o estudo, o ensino e a utilizao das demais l?nguas de Angola, bem como das principais l?nguas de comunicao internacional ^[9].

After the 1975 revolution, Mozambique adopted a Constitution, the first version of which did not define the status of the Portuguese language. At the same time, the Minister of Education, Graca Machel, stated that, despite the status of the language of the oppressors, the Portuguese language in the new Mozambique should find a new dimension and play an important role in overcoming the split that languages of different ethnic groups brought into public life.

The necessary changes regarding the status of the Portuguese language in Mozambique were introduced into the Constitution only in 1990, when Portuguese was recognized as the only official language of the nation-State. This rise of the Portuguese language was due to the fact that, unlike the Bantu languages, it was not associated with any of the aspiring nationalities. Portuguese, as the language of a powerful literary tradition in post-revolutionary Mozambique, was considered an unbiased language, not involved in the struggle for power in the country.

According to the 1997 census, the most widely spoken languages in Mozambique are Macua (24.8%), Tsonga (Shangana, Ronga, tswa) (11.4%), Lomwe (7.9%) and Sena (10%).

During the colonial period, the Portuguese language provided an opportunity for the inhabitants of the country to achieve a higher social position and improve their financial status. Portuguese was spoken mainly by the townspeople. In the villages, Bantu languages were the main means of communication (90% of all used African languages).

The status of Portuguese as the official language of the country is approved in the Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique (section 1, article 10: Na Rep?blica de Mo?ambique a l?ngua portuguesa ? a l?ngua nacional). The ninth article of the country's basic law also states that the State recognizes national languages and supports their development and increasing use as means of communication, as well as in the field of education of citizens of the country: O Estado valoriza as l?nguas nacionais como patrim?nio cultural e educacional e promove o seu desenvolvimento e utilizao crescente como l?nguas veiculares da nossa identidade ^[11].

In the Republic of Cape Verde, significant changes were made to the Constitution of the country in 1992 (Constituio da Rep?blica de Cabo Verde) in the 90s of the XX century. In particular, in 1999, equal rights were established for two languages — native Kaboverdian and Portuguese, the official one. Article 9 of chapter 1 of the Constitution says: 1. ? l?ngua oficial o portugu?s. 2. O estado promove as condies para a oficializao da l?ngua materna caboverdiana, em paridade com a l?ngua portuguesa. 3. Todos os cidad?os tem o dever de conhecer as l?nguas oficiais e o direito de us?-las ^[10].

The Kaboverdian language (also Kabuverdian) is a type of contact language, the so—called Creole, which originated on the basis of the Portuguese language. It is native to almost 1 million people. It is used for teaching in schools, radio and television broadcasting. The latest fiction is being created in Kaboverdian.

The Constitution of the Republic of Guinea Bissau (1996) states that the fundamental task of the State is to combat illiteracy (16.2: O Estado considera a liquidao do analfabetismo como uma tarefa fundamental ^[19]), as well as creating conditions for the preservation of cultural identity as the basis of national identity and dignity (17.1: ? imperativo fundamental do Estado criar e promover as condies favor?veis ? preservao da identidade cultural, como suporte da consci?ncia e dignidade nacionais e factor estimante do desenvolvimento harmonioso da sociedade. O Estado preserva e defende o patrim?nio cultural do povo, cuja valorizao deve servir o progresso e a salvaguarda da dignidade humana ^[19]).

Along with the official language in Guinea-Bissau (1.8 million people), African (native to some nationalities) are common The languages are Balanta (25%), Fula (28%), Mandinga (15%), Manjako and Papel (9%). In cities (Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu) Part of the population uses Guinean Creole, which has two age varieties — youth Creole (kiriol lebi) and older Creole (kiriol fundu).

In the preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (2003), it is noted that "the people of Sao Tome for five centuries waged a difficult and heroic struggle against colonial rule for the liberation of the captured fatherland, for the conquest of sovereignty and national independence, for the restoration of violated rights" (Durante cinco s?culos o Povo S?o tomense travou contra a dominao colonial, um combat dif?cil e her?ico, pela libertao da sua P?tria ocupada, pela conquista da Soberania e Independencia nacional, pela restaurao dos seus direitos usurpados e pela reafirmao da sua dignidade humana e personalidade africana) ^[13]. Portuguese is the official and native language for the vast majority of the country's population (98.4%). Along with Portuguese, Lusocreol languages are widespread in Sao Tome - Forro (70 thousand people communicate on social networks in Forro), Angolar, Creole Caboverdian and Principense.

Section I, chapter 13 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (2002) defines the official status of Portuguese and national languages, namely, the Austronesian language of the Tetum people: 1. O t?tum e o portugu?s s?o as l?nguas oficiais da Rep?blica Democr?tica de Timor-leste. 2. O t?tum e as outras l?nguas nacionais s?o valorizadas e desenvolvidas pelo Estado. ("1. Tetum and Portuguese are the official languages of the Democratic Republic of East Timor. 2. Tetum and other national languages are supported and developed with the help of the state") ^[14].

In the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, on July 20, 2010, Portuguese was declared the official language of the country by decree of the President of the country. On this basis, Equatorial Guinea was able to become a full member of the Commonwealth of Portuguese Language Countries. Meanwhile, in the Constitution of the country in 2012, article 4 of the first section states that Spanish and French are considered the official languages of Equatorial Guinea, as well as those defined by law: Las lenguas oficiales de la Rep?blica de Guinea Equatorial son el Espa?ol, el Franc?s y las que la Ley determine ^[18].

3. Justification of the language policy in the Portuguese language States

Lusophony is the world of the Portuguese language, which exists in different national, regional, territorial and social variants, in different modes (written and oral), in different registers and genres.

The term lusofonia appeared due to the neologism lus?fono < luso + fono (lusophone). This term was formed by analogy with the French word francophone, which has been included in the dictionary of Le Petit Robert de la langue fran?aise since 1949.

A lusophone community is a supranational association that arose on three grounds: a common language — Portuguese, a heterogeneous ethnic composition of the population and a community of cultural traditions. The lusophone world was formed during the creation and existence of the Portuguese Empire, which lasted for almost five hundred years.

The theoretical basis of lusophony was the doctrine of lusotropicalism, developed by the Brazilian historian and sociologist J. Freire. In the book Casa grande & senzala, the Brazilian scientist suggests that racial and cultural synthesis is at the heart of the formation of national and cultural Brazilian identity ^[17].

Freire outlined two ways of the genesis of ethnocultural and cultural-historical communities involving race and culture — mestization and creolization. Mestization refers to the ethnic process of mixing the indigenous population with representatives of other races (or colonizers and imported slaves) as a result of intermarriage. Mestization begins in the colonial period. In a broader sense, mestization is a mixture of customs, forms of thinking, and beliefs of the peoples in contact. Creolization (originally a linguistic concept — the process and result of the interaction of languages) is the interpenetration of contacting languages and cultures ^[5].

4. Activities of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries in the field of language policy

J.'s ideas. Freire played a significant role in the integration movement within lusophony. This became apparent when the Comunidade dos pa ses da l i ngua portuguesa (CPLP) was created in the lusophone world. The initiative to organize the commonwealth appeared in 1983. It was first formulated by Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama, during an official visit to the Republic of Cape Verde. In 1989, at the suggestion of Brazilian President Jose Sarney, the first meeting of the heads of State and Government of seven Portuguese—speaking countries - Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe - took place. Since 1994, the principles of the new Commonwealth have been developed. Finally, in 1996, when the Declaration and the Charter of the organization were prepared, the signing of the founding documents took place in Lisbon. In 2002, East Timor became the eighth member of the community after independence. In 2014, Equatorial Guinea joined the Commonwealth, which recognized Portuguese as one of its official languages on the basis that Portuguese-based Creole languages are widespread on its territory. The countries of the Commonwealth with a total population of about 273 million people are located on four continents.

The Charter of the Community in Chapter 9 provided for the opening of the International Institute of the Portuguese Language, Instituto Internacional da L'ngua portuguesa (IILP). The aim of the Institute is to plan and implement programs related to the promotion (promoo), protection (defesa), enrichment (enriquecimento) and dissemination (difus?o) of the Portuguese language. Portuguese is considered as a tool of culture, education, information and access to scientific and technological knowledge, as well as a means of international communication.

The Charter of the Commonwealth was ratified in the Portuguese-speaking countries in 1997-1998.

The Commonwealth Declaration sets out the objectives of the organization: to strengthen national, cultural and multinational identity, strengthen mutual bonds of friendship and cooperation on the basis of a single language, which has the official status in the countries. In this regard, it is emphasized that the Portuguese language is a common heritage, a means of historical communication that arose in the process of centuries—old coexistence. The Portuguese language is considered as the basic basis for the establishment of one's own national identity in each of the countries of Portuguese speech ^[16].

An important area of activity of the International Institute of the Portuguese Language is the development of a Common Spelling Dictionary (Vocabul?rio ortogr?fico comum da l?ngua portuguesa, VOC) ^[20]. In 1990, the international spelling agreement Acordo Ortogr?fico da L?ngua Portuguesa was concluded, the task of which was to consolidate spelling forms (including optional ones) and create a corpus of words used in Portuguese-speaking countries. Interestingly, each country has its own version of the dictionary: in Brazil, VOLP (Vocabul?rio ortogr?fico da l?ngua portuguesa), in Cape Verde — VOCALP (Vocabul?rio Cabo-Verdiano da L?ngua Portuguesa), in Mozambique — VONMoz (Vocabul?rio Ortogr?fico Nacional de Mo?ambique), in Portugal — VOP (Vocabul?rio Ortogr?fico do Portugues), in Timor — VO-TL (Vocabul?rio Ortogr?fico de Timor-Leste).

In 2012 The dictionary was first presented at the headquarters of the Community, and in 2013 it was discussed at the II Conference on the future of the Portuguese language. Finally, in 2014. The dictionary became a common property at the X Meeting of the Heads of State of the Community in Dili. The most developed versions of the dictionary are the Brazilian and Portuguese editions. Academician E. Beshara took part in the preparation of the Brazilian spelling dictionary ^[6]. The Portuguese edition was prepared by famous linguists M. Correia and J. Pedro ^[15].

On August 27, 2023, the XIV Conference of Heads of State of the Commonwealth was held in Sao Tome. Special attention was paid to youth issues and environmental conservation issues. The declaration of the conference emphasized the commitments of the member countries of the Community to strengthen solidarity, fraternal relations and cooperation. Unity of efforts aimed at strengthening and spreading the Portuguese language and the well-being of the peoples. Paraguay joined the Commonwealth as an associate observer, striving to promote and spread the Portuguese language. The representative of Timor, Zacarias da Costa, was re-elected Executive Secretary.

Conclusions

The study of language policy in the Portuguese speaking countries is based on the methodology developed in sociolinguistics, linguovariantology, anthropology and ethnography, as well as in linguoculturology. Language policy has a whole range of tools, the key among which is the definition of the status of the language in the fundamental state document — the Constitution of the country.

In the countries of the Portuguese language, in terms of the status of the language, the official, co-official, native and national languages are distinguished. Each State pays special attention not only to the language of a political nation (in accordance with citizenship), but also to the languages of politically significant traditional historical ethnic groups.

The established Commonwealth of Portuguese-speaking Countries is developing intensive activities in the field of not only economic cooperation, but also national language policy. In the field of convergence of States, work continues on a unified Spelling dictionary, taking into account the differentiation in national and even territorial versions of the Portuguese language. Language policy constantly takes into account the priorities of youth policy, which involves the integration of young people with the help of the latest technological resources. The peculiarities of digital interaction based on the Portuguese language are an urgent problem for future research.