Cover not available

In:The Portuguese Language Continuum in Africa and Brazil
Edited by Laura Álvarez López, Perpétua Gonçalves and Juanito Ornelas de Avelar
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 20] 2018
► pp. 89–110

Get fulltext
PDF logo with download linkDownload Chapter PDF

Chapter 4
Portuguese and African languages in Mozambique

A sociolinguistic approach

Open Access logo
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 22 November 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.20.05chi
Abstract
This chapter analyses historical and contemporary sociolinguistic dynamics behind the genesis and diversity of Mozambican Portuguese. Focusing on the situation of contact between Portuguese and African languages, it is shown how the privileged status ascribed to Portuguese has contributed to increasing the proportion of Mozambican citizens who can speak this language, including as a first language. In contrast, the proportion of speakers of African languages as first languages is in decline. The chapter also discusses the heterogenic nature of Mozambican Portuguese and points to some sociolinguistic factors that can be used to explain the development of this emerging variety.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Historical background
  • 3.Language ecology of Mozambique
  • 4.The status and role of Portuguese in colonial and post-colonial language-in-education policies
    • 4.1Portuguese in colonial language-in-education policies
    • 4.2Portuguese in post-colonial language-in-education policies
  • 5.Nativisation of Portuguese in Mozambique
    • 5.1Mozambican Portuguese as a continuum of varieties
    • 5.2Sociolinguistic factors of variation of Mozambican Portuguese
  • 6.Final remarks
  • Notes
  • References
References (50)
References
Belchior, M. D. (1965). Evolução política do ensino em Moçambique. In Moçambique: Curso de extensão universitária (pp. 635–674). Lisbon: Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Política Ultramarina.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Buendía Gómez, M. (1999). Educação moçambicana – História de um processo: 1962–1984. Maputo: Livraria Universitária, UEM.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chick, J. K., & Wade, R. (1997). Restandardisation in direction of a new English: Implications for access and equity. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 18, 271–284. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chilundo, A., Rocha, A., Hedges, D., Medeiros, E., & Liesegang, G. (1999). História de Moçambique: Moçambique no auge do colonialismo, 1930–1961 (Vol. 2, 2nd ed.). Maputo: Livraria Universitária, UEM.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chimbutane, F. (2011). Rethinking bilingual education in postcolonial contexts. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). Panorama linguístico de Moçambique: Análise dos dados do III recenseamento geral da população e habitação de 2007. Maputo: Instituto Nacional de Estatística.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015). Línguas e educação em Moçambique: Uma perspectiva sócio-histórica. In P. Gonçalves & F. Chimbutane (Eds.), Multilinguismo e multiculturalismo em Moçambique: Em direcção a uma coerência entre discurso e prática (pp. 35–75). Maputo: Alcance Editores.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Comissão Nacional do Plano. (1985). Informação estatística: 1975–1985. Maputo: Direcção Nacional de Estatística.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (1991). Anuário Estatístico – 1990. Maputo: Direcção Nacional de Estatística.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (1992). Anuário Estatístico – 1991. Maputo: Direcção Nacional de Estatística.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(CCR) Conselho Coordenador de Recenseamento. (1983). 1º recenseamento geral da população. Maputo: Conselho Coordenador de Recenseamento.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cruz e Silva, T. (2001). Protestant churches and the formation of political consciousness in Southern Mozambique (1930–1974). Basel: P. Schlettwein.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dias, H. N. (2002). As desigualdades sociolinguísticas e o fracasso escolar: Em direcção a uma prática linguístico-escolar libertadora. Maputo: Promédia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Diniz, M. J. C. (1995). O ensino da língua portuguesa em Moçambique. Maputo: INDE.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Firmino, G. (2000). Situação linguística de Moçambique: Dados do II recenseamento geral da população e habitação de 1997. Maputo: Instituto Nacional de Estatística.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2002). A “questão linguística” na África pós-colonial: O caso do português e das línguas autóctones em Moçambique. Maputo: Promédia.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2011). Nation-statehood and linguistic diversity in the postcolony: The case of Portuguese and indigenous languages in Mozambique. In E. A. Anchimbe & S. A. Mforteh (Eds.), Postcolonial linguistic voices: Identity choices and representations (pp. 99–117). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2010). A génese do português de Moçambique. Lisbon: Imprensa Nacional/Casa da Moeda.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). Lusofonia em Moçambique: Com ou sem glotofagia? Paper presented at the II Congresso Internacional de Linguística Histórica: Homenagem a Ataliba Teixeira de Castilho, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
(2013). O português em África. In E. B. P. Raposo, M. F. Bacelar do Nascimento, M. A. C. da Mota, L. Segura, & A. Mendes (Eds.), Gramática do português (pp. 157–168). Lisbon: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2017). Bilinguismo em Moçambique: Desafios para a investigação. In A. Monteiro, C. Siopa, J. A. Marques, & M. Bastos (Eds.), Ensino da língua portuguesa em contextos multilingues e multiculturais: Textos selecionados das VIII jornadas da língua portuguesa (pp. 31–46). Porto: Porto Editora.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guissemo, M. (2002). A relevância dos factores sociais escolaridade/profissão na variação linguística do português oral de Maputo: O caso dos complementos oracionais seleccionados pelo verbo dizer. (Unpublished bachelor’s thesis). Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Moçambique.
Heller, M. (Ed.). (2007). Bilingualism: A social approach. London: Palgrave. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hickey, R. (2005). Englishes in Asia and Africa: Origin and structure. In R. Hickey (Ed.), Legacies of colonial English: Studies in transported dialects (pp. 503–535). Cambridge: CUP. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
INDE/MINED (Instituto Nacional do Desenvolvimento da Educação/Ministério da Educação). (2003). Plano curricular do ensino básico: Objectivos, política, estrutura, plano de estudos e estratégias de implementação. Maputo: INDE/MINED.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
INE (Instituto Nacional de Estatística). (2010). Dados do recenseamento geral da população de 2007. Maputo: INE.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Isaacman, A., & Isaacman, B. (1983). Mozambique: From colonialism to revolution, 1900–1982. Hampshire: Gower.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jon-And, A. (2011). Variação, contato e mudança linguística em Moçambique e Cabo Verde: A concordância variável de número em sintagmas nominais do português. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kachru, B. B. (1982). Models for non-native Englishes. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue: English across cultures (pp. 31–37). Urbana-Champain, IL: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lopes, A. J. (1998). The language situation in Mozambique. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19, 440–486. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maciel, C., & Pascoal, J. (2002). Produção científica sobre o português de Moçambique. In A. Ngunga, S. Patel, I. Pereira, & A. Simango (Eds.), Investigação em ciências sociais e humanas: Situação actual e perspectivas (pp. 71–93). Maputo: Livraria Universitária, UEM.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Makoni, S. & Pennycook, A. (2007). Disinventing and reconstituting languages. In S. Makoni & A. Pennycook (Eds.), Disinventing and reconstituting languages (pp. 1–41). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mateus, D. C. (1999). A luta pela independência: Formação das elites fundadoras da FRELIMO, MPLA e PAIGC. Mira-Sintra: Editorial Inquérito.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mazula, B. (1995). Educação, cultura e ideologia em Moçambique: 1975–1985. Maputo: Fundo Bibliográfico da Língua Portuguesa/Edições Afrontamento.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MEC (Ministério da Educação e Cultura). (1975). Ensino primário. Organização política e administrativa. Programas e directrizes pedagógicas. Maputo: Imprensa Nacional de Moçambique.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mesthrie, R. (1992). English in language shift: The history, structure and sociolinguistics of South African Indian English. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2006). World Englishes and the multilingual history of English. World Englishes, 25, 381–390. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MINED (Ministério da Educação). (1994a). Indicadores educacionais e efectivos escolares: Ensino primário, 1983–1992. Maputo: MINED.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (1994b). Indicadores educacionais e efectivos escolares: Ensino primário, 1993–1994, Ensino secundário, 1983–1994. Maputo: MINED.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Moita-Lopes, L. P. (Ed.) (2015). Global Portuguese: Linguistic ideologies in late modernity. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Moreno, A., & Tuzine, A. (1997). Distribuição social de variáveis linguísticas no português oral de Maputo. In C. Stroud & P. Gonçalves (Eds.), Panorama do português oral de Maputo – Vol. II: A construção de um banco de “erros” (pp. 68–89). Maputo: INDE.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Newitt, M. (1995). A history of Mozambique. London: Hurst & Company.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Platt, J. T. (1975). The Singapore English speech continuum and its basilect ‘Singlish’ as a ‘Creoloid’. Anthropological Linguistics, 17, 363–374.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
RM (República de Moçambique). (1990). Constituição da República. Boletim da República, 1st s., n. 44. Maputo: Imprensa Nacional.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Romaine, S. (1995). Bilingualism  (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schmied, J. (2006). East African Englishes. In B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson (Eds.), The handbook of world Englishes (pp. 188–202). Oxford: Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
da Silva, J. G. (1994). A variação do português falado em Moçambique: A escola como factor de cristalização. Revista Internacional de Língua Portuguesa, 12, 95–102.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Stroud, C. (2003). Postmodernist perspective on local languages: African mother-tongue education in times of globalisation. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 6, 17–35. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tuzine, A. (1997). O papel da rede social na variação e mudança linguística. In C. Stroud & P. Gonçalves (Eds.), Panorama do português oral de Maputo – Volume I: objectivos e métodos (pp. 75–100). Maputo: INDE.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (6)

Cited by six other publications

Correia, Margarita
2024. Fifty years that changed the international status of the Portuguese language. Revista de Llengua i Dret :82 ► pp. 364 ff. DOI logo
Chimbutane, Feliciano & Perpétua Gonçalves
2023. Family language policy and language shift in postcolonial Mozambique: a critical, multi-layered approach. Language Policy 22:3 ► pp. 267 ff. DOI logo
Zhang, Shuai, Juan F. Quinonez-Beltran, Jialin Lai, Pooja R. Nakamura, John A. Downes, Carlos J. Manuel & R. Malatesha Joshi
2023. Expressive Language Proficiency and Decoding Development in Local Languages and Portuguese in Mozambique: Evidence from Nampula and Zambézia. In Handbook of Literacy in Africa [Literacy Studies, 24], ► pp. 507 ff. DOI logo
Serra, Carolina & Ingrid Oliveira
2022. The intonation of Portuguese spoken in Maputo, Mozambique: A case study. DELTA: Documentação de Estudos em Lingüística Teórica e Aplicada 38:3 DOI logo
Reite, Torun
2021. From racial to linguistic social divisions: Coloniality in contemporary Maputo. Journal of Sociolinguistics 25:2 ► pp. 198 ff. DOI logo
GONÇALVES, RITA
2020. Contrasting Dative Expression in Varieties of Portuguese. Bulletin of Hispanic Studies 97:1 ► pp. 59 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 12 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue