The study of the Portuguese language reveals a more complex origin than commonly believed. While Vulgar Latin is the foundation of both Portuguese and Galician, it was through Medieval Galician, a Romance variety that expanded during the Reconquista, that the main linguistic structures of Portuguese were consolidated in the territory that would become Portugal.
In the preface, the term "ilusofonia" is used, which synthesizes Venâncio's view. It suggests that the idea of a cohesive and ancestral "Lusophony" is an illusion. The author highlights that the replacement of Mozarabic dialects (Latin-based dialects influenced by Arabic) by a Romance language began during the Reconquista, when Catholics from the north of the Iberian Peninsula brought their language, Galician, south.
Venâncio's thesis challenges the idea that Portuguese originated directly in the territory of modern Portugal, as a homogeneous continuation of Latin. He argues that Portuguese emerged largely as an extension of Galician, a language of prestige and diffusion in the Iberian northwest from the Middle Ages. This is supported by linguistic arguments, such as the loss of the phonemes "l" and "n" between vowels, a feature present in Galician but not in Spanish.
The comparison with Spanish provides examples: the "l" in Latin "colore" is maintained in "color" but not in Portuguese "cor". Venâncio points out that around 1400, Portuguese forms like "dolorido" or "frenar", with their intervocalic "l" and "n", became more productive due to Spanish influence. The work invites readers to reconsider linguistic identity and cultural heritage, emphasizing the active role of medieval Galicia in the formation of Portuguese.
By highlighting Galician's role, Venâncio shows that Portuguese was born from historical movements and encounters, not from an isolated nucleus. This perspective encourages us to view our language not as the finished product of a single history, but as a crossroads of influences and continuities. This approach is a reminder that languages are not born pure or alone, but often emerge from the margins.
Venâncio's work emphasizes that Portuguese was shaped by historical movements, geographical shifts, and linguistic exchanges. It celebrates the journey of a language that is constantly reborn.