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Help answer this question below.
1) All of them are Romance languages, also related.
Portuguese is relatively similar to "Spanish". "Majorquí" is somewhat different.
2) "In terms of number of speakers and dominance, the most prominent of the languages of Spain is Spanish, which nearly everyone in Spain can speak as either first or second language. But there are robust regional languages figuring prominently in a series of regions:
- Basque in parts of the Basque Country and Navarre. Basque is the only non Romance language in mainland Spain.
- Catalan in Catalonia, adjacent eastern Aragon, and the Balearic Islands and, as a distinct variant, Valencian in the Valencian Community.
- Galician in Galicia and adjacent western parts of Asturias and Castilla y León.
- Aranese in the Pyrenean comarca of the Aran Valley, in north-western Catalonia. It is a variety of Gascon, which in turn is a variety of the Occitan language."
"In Galicia, the mutual relationship between Galician and Portuguese has caused some controversy, since some linguists, such as Lindley Cintra, consider that they are still dialects of a common language, in spite of the differences in phonology and vocabulary (see Reintegrationism).
Others, such as Pilar Vázquez Cuesta, argue that they have become separate languages due to major differences in phonetics and vocabulary usage, and, to a lesser extent, morphology and syntax."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Spain
3) Some text examples about Spain (not just translated):
- Spanish:
"España,9 oficialmente Reino de España, es un país soberano miembro de la Unión Europea, constituido en Estado social y democrático de Derecho y cuya forma de gobierno es la monarquía parlamentaria. Su territorio, con capital en Madrid, ocupa la mayor parte de la Península Ibérica, al que se añaden los archipiélagos de las Islas Baleares (en el mar Mediterráneo occidental) y el de las Islas Canarias (en el océano Atlántico nororiental), así como en el norte del continente africano las plazas de soberanía de las ciudades autónomas de Ceuta y Melilla, además de los distritos y posesiones menores de las islas Chafarinas, el peñón de Vélez de la Gomera y el peñón de Alhucemas."
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espa%C3%B1a
- Portuguese:
"A Espanha (em castelhano e galego España, em catalão Espanya e em basco Espainia) é um país da Europa meridional localizado na península Ibérica. Tem a norte o golfo da Biscaia, a França e Andorra, a leste e a sul o mar Mediterrâneo, a sul o território britânico de Gibraltar, a oeste Portugal e a sul e oeste o Oceano Atlântico. Além da porção ibérica, a Espanha possui também os arquipélagos das Baleares no Mediterrâneo e das Canárias no Atlântico e as cidades de Ceuta e Melilla (além de várias ilhotas e rochedos junto à costa africana), e o enclave de Llívia, rodeado por França."
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espanha
- Gallego (quite similar to Portuguese:
"España, oficialmente Reino de España, é un país soberano membro da Unión Europea, constituído en Estado social e democrático de Dereito, e cuxa forma de goberno é a monarquía parlamentaria. O seu territorio, con capital en Madrid, ocupa a maior parte da península Ibérica, ao que se lle engaden os arquipélagos das Illas Baleares, no mar Mediterráneo occidental, e das Illas Canarias, no océano Atlántico nororiental, así como no norte do continente africano, as prazas de soberanía das cidades autónomas de Ceuta e Melilla, ademais dos distritos e posesións menores das illas Chafarinas, o Peñón de Vélez da Gomera o peñón de Alhucemas e Perejil."
http://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espa%C3%B1a
- Catalan:
"Espanya o el Regne d'Espanya (en castellà i gallec: Reino de España, en basc: Espainiako Erresuma, en occità: Reialme d'Espanha) és un estat del sud-oest d'Europa, que ocupa la major part de la Península Ibèrica, la qual comparteix amb Portugal, Gibraltar i Andorra. Limita al nord-est amb França i el principat d'Andorra, a l'oest amb Portugal i amb l'oceà Atlàntic i l'est i al sud amb la mar Mediterrània. Pertanyen a Espanya també els territoris extrapeninsulars de les Illes Balears, a la mar Mediterrània, les Illes Canàries a l'oceà Atlàntic i les ciutats de Ceuta i Melilla que limiten amb el Marroc al sud."
http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espanya
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You're reading How different is Portuguese to Spanish and Majorqui?
Comments
I suppose the follow up question would be: Could someone who speaks exclusively Portugueses be understood by someone who speaks exclusively Spanish and vice versa? a question I guess only a Spaniard or a Portuguese could answer!
by warren321 on October 18th, 2009
warren321: thank you for your feedback. I am French and I have learned Spanish (and some other Languages, such as Latin). I found it originally easier to understand a text in Portuguese than a text in Catalan. (In the meantime, I know some basic Catalan words, so I don't find it so difficult as in the beginning)
by iwnit on October 18th, 2009