European Portuguese

European Portuguese (Portuguese: Português europeu (pronounced: [puɾtuˈgez ewɾuˈpew])), also known as Lusitanian Portuguese (Portuguese: Português lusitano) and Portuguese of Portugal (Portuguese: Português de Portugal) in Brazil, refers to the Portuguese language spoken in Portugal. Standard Portuguese pronunciation, the prestige norm based on European Portuguese, is the reference for Portugal, the Portuguese-speaking African countries, East Timor and Macau. The word “European” was chosen to avoid the clash of “Portuguese Portuguese” as opposed to Brazilian Portuguese.

Geographic variation

European Portuguese is divided into Northern and Southern varieties. The prestige norms are based on two varieties: that of Coimbra and that of Lisbon.

Phonetically, differences emerge within Continental Portuguese. For example, in northern Portugal, the phonemes [b] and [v] are less differentiated than in the rest of the Portuguese speaking world. Another regionalism can be found in the south with the use of the gerund in the present progressive tense rather than the infinitive.