Home > About

About

About Spanish at UMass Amherst

A major in Spanish, one of the most widely spoken languages globally, provides the student not only with the communication skills, but also with an integrative and cross-disciplinary exposure to a wide variety of literatures and cultures within the Spanish-speaking world: the regions of Spain influenced by Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions, the many countries of Latin America where European, African and Amerindian peoples interacted to form rich and complex cultures, and the Latino communities in the United States with their rapidly growing populations and their increasing prominence.

The faculty is fully committed to passing on to students the intellectual benefits to be gained from comprehensive knowledge of a diverse and unique culture that has contributed greatly to the ideas, values and accomplishments that have profoundly shaped the global community.

About Portuguese at UMass Amherst

Portuguese is the sixth most spoken language in the world. It is the language of nearly 200 million people in many different countries, such as Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor, and parts of India and China. Portuguese is the language of Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago and of Machado de Assis, the most famous Brazilian writer. It’s also the language of world-famous Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

There are important communities of Portuguese speakers in various regions of the United States, notably in New England, New Jersey and south Florida. Luso-Americans (Americans with Portuguese, Brazilian or Luso-African origin) can be found in all states and there are sizable Luso-American communities in Massachusetts (where Portuguese is the most widely spoken language after English), and also in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii, Florida, Delaware and Virginia. According to data from the 2000 census, the members of this community amount to more than 1.5 million Americans.

Portuguese and Spanish are among the fastest-growing languages in the world, and a major or minor in these languages can mean better job opportunities and a richer university experience for our students.