Here's a breakdown of its origins:
* Latin: The foundation of Portuguese, like all Romance languages, is Vulgar Latin. This was the everyday language of the Roman Empire, as opposed to the formal, written Latin.
* Galician: As the Roman Empire declined, Vulgar Latin evolved into various regional dialects. In the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula, it developed into Galician.
* Portuguese: Around the 13th century, Galician started to diverge further, giving rise to Portuguese. This was influenced by various factors:
* Geographic separation: Portugal's location on the Atlantic coast led to unique linguistic developments.
* Contact with other languages: Portuguese was exposed to Arabic, Basque, and other languages during the Reconquista (the reconquest of Spain from the Moors).
* Literary and cultural developments: The Portuguese court promoted a standardized written language, furthering its divergence from Galician.
Therefore, while Portuguese shares many similarities with Galician, it is considered a separate language due to these key differences in development.