The Revitalization of the Portuguese Language in Timor-Leste

Abstract

Timor-Leste is a multilingual nation, comprising its indigenous languages, yet also languages from abroad, which all coexist within the boundaries of the country. As a former Portuguese colony, the country has showcased a Portuguese language as its official language during its colonial era. However, since that period, and hence throughout its history, the country has transited through the use of several official languages. With the country’s independence in 2002, the newly formed constitution instituted Portuguese and Tetum as the official and instructional languages, although the Portuguese language is currently spoken by only part of the population. The study finds that, through decipherment of the language ideologies of the sample set cohort, the use of the language appears to correlate with the myth of national origin, with the construction of national identity, and the establishment of the (nation) state, presenting a transcendental signifier, or at least master narrative. I also include ‘mystics’ as a category, that is, those who bind the Portuguese language to the invisible and miraculous forces construed as resurrecting a dying national ideal. Those with pragmatic intentions seek evidence for progress in the implementation of the language and its policies, while those with idealistic intentions view any movement as a journey towards progress. This confidence in the future of the language and nation state, mediated by language ideologies, is multi-layered, and conceptions vary substantially.