This handbook brings together leading experts in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of the principal historical and contemporary aspects of the Portuguese language from a wide range of perspectives. The first part of the volume explores the main structural characteristics of Portuguese, featuring extensive cross-dialectal comparisons, while the second offers multiple analyses of the language from different theoretical traditions. The chapters in Part III examine the main diachronic developments in Portuguese, introduce the historical, geographical, and social aspects of the origins and expansions of the language, and provide the main features of each of the eight national varieties. Part IV highlights the crucial role that language contact has played in shaping many Portuguese varieties across the world, while Part V investigates the acquisition and teaching of Portuguese. In the final part the focus shifts to how the language is perceived by society: chapters discuss language attitudes, perceptions, and ideologies, as well as efforts to standardize Portuguese; the final chapter explores recent proposals to counter linguistic discrimination and foster linguistic respect. The Oxford Handbook of the Portuguese Language will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students as well as established scholars, whether they are specialists in Portuguese linguistics or researchers in a related field looking to learn more about the language.
