History of Portuguese - Modern Portuguese Standardization During The Renaissance

Modern Portuguese Standardization During The Renaissance

See also: Portuguese vocabulary

The end of "Old Portuguese" was marked by the publication of the Cancioneiro Geral by Garcia de Resende, in 1516.

"Modern Portuguese" developed from the early 16th century to the present. During the Renaissance, scholars and writers borrowed many words from classical Latin and ancient Greek, which increased the complexity of the Portuguese lexicon. As with most European vernacular languages, the standardization of the Portuguese language was propelled by the development of the printing press. In 1536 Fernão de Oliveira published his Grammatica da lingoagem portuguesa in Lisbon, the first Portuguese grammar. The work of this heterodox Dominican priest, philologist and mariner was soon followed. In 1540, João de Barros crown officer published his Gramática da Língua Portuguesa along with moral dialogues and basics of the Catholic Church to help teaching young aristocrats. This second work, illustrated with woodcuts, is considered the world's first printed illustrated text book.

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