Editing Portuguese language (section)

=== Future ===
[[File:MC 澳門 Macau 港珠澳大橋 HK-Zhu-Macau Bridge port building Jan 2019 IX2 63.jpg|thumb|Multilingual signage in Chinese, Portuguese and English at the [[Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge]] port building in [[Macau]]. Portuguese is a co-official language in Macau.]]
According to estimates by [[UNESCO]], Portuguese is the fastest-growing [[European language]] after [[English language|English]] and the language has, according to the newspaper ''The Portugal News'' publishing data given from UNESCO, the highest potential for growth as an international language in [[southern Africa]] and [[South America]].<ref name="The Portugal News">{{cite web|url=http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=906-9|title=Portuguese language gaining popularity|publisher=Anglopress Edicões e Publicidade Lda|date=5 May 2007|access-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318152307/http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=906-9|archive-date=18 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Portuguese is a globalized language spoken officially on five continents, and as a second language by millions worldwide.

Since 1991, when Brazil signed into the economic community of [[Mercosul]] with other South American nations, namely [[Argentina]], [[Uruguay]] and [[Paraguay]], Portuguese is either mandatory, or taught, in the schools of those South American countries.

Although early in the 21st century, after [[Macau]] was returned to [[China]] and immigration of Brazilians of [[Japanese Brazilian|Japanese descent]] to [[Japan]] slowed down, the use of Portuguese was in decline in [[Asia]], it is once again becoming a language of opportunity there, mostly because of increased diplomatic and financial ties with economically powerful Portuguese-speaking countries in the world.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leach |first=Michael |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6469/is_92/ai_n29406744/ |title=talking Portuguese; China and East Timor |access-date=18 May 2011 |website=Arena Magazine |year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105033001/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6469/is_92/ai_n29406744/ |archive-date=5 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.macaomagazine.net/china/promising-future-portuguese-language-china |title=Promising future for Portuguese language in China |last=Bilrero |first=António |date=15 March 2018 |website=Macao Magazine |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702230400/https://www.macaomagazine.net/china/promising-future-portuguese-language-china |archive-date=2019-07-02}}</ref>