Portuguese and American are two cultures that contain many differences as compared to the similarities. The United States is such a huge country that it includes as much as six separate time zones. Thus, it incorporates many cultures and traditions within it. Analyzing all of its customs and traditions in a paper is not even possible. It is located in the continent: North America between the countries Canada and Mexico. Its population as reported in 2017 is 324, 7000,000. The currency of America is US dollar, which is considered as the universal currency of the world. People of various religions are living in the United States at the present moment. On the other hand, Portugal is located in Southwestern Europe in the west of Spain. The population of the country is calculated to be 10,813,834 (Golovine, 2014).
Around 10 million people living in Portugal speak a language called Portuguese. It is said to be a romantic language that has been derived from the Vulgar Latin. A few thousand people living along the Spanish border speak two separate languages, i.e. Galician and Mirandese. At the same time, no language has been declared as the official language of the United States till date. However, English is considered as the primary language, and all the important documentation, regulations, treaties, executive orders, and federal court rulings are written and signed in it. 30 out of the 50 states in America have declared English as the official language, but due to the numerous immigrants, America is still considered to be a multilingual country. The top 5 languages being spoken in the United States at present are Spanish, French, Chinese, Tagalog and of course English. The important documents such as ballots are required to be printed in more than one language when there are a lot of non-English residents present in the particular area (Golovine, 2014).
Around 78% of the people in America follow Christianity. There also exist large numbers of people living in the United States who are Catholic or follow Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, Sikhism or other faiths. As much as 15% of American is also considered to be atheists. America is considered to be a secular country, i.e. the politics of the country do get influenced by religion. The people of Portugal are 94% Roman Catholic. The United States celebrates many events on a yearly basis and official holidays are announced on certain days including New Year’s Day on January 1st, Independence Day on July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas in December 25th, etc. The families live on a nuclear basis. Extended relative lives in their own homes. Individualism is encouraged and valued in the country (Zimmermann, 2017).
Individuals are proud of their unique accomplishments, success, and initiatives. This concept is appreciated in most of the states. Classes are not promoted in American society. People from all the backgrounds can work hard and achieve status in America. Therefore, individuals from all around the world come here to make money or start living. The stories of ‘rags to riches’ are famous in the United States. However, discrimination over manner, clothing, and accents still exist. Gender equality is promoted by American law. But generally, this does not happen. Women do not get the same benefits as men. They are still made responsible for household chores even though they also work outside. Low-status jobs are assigned to women while men take up all the top employment positions. Also, women are discriminated in the jobs where physical strength is required such as firefighting and construction industries. However, the major issue is women being underrepresented in political offices and not being involved in the committees allocated for making goods that are considered larger than life. The economy of the United States is one of the largest in the world. The majority of the business activities occur in the departments of advertising, finance, and tourism. There exist some of the huge manufacturing industries in the world in America that includes lumber and mining industries, petroleum, motor vehicles, steel, telecommunications, aerospace, and food processing industries (Zimmermann, 2017).
On the other hand, Portuguese families are close to each other. Individuals are assisted by family members in every part of life. People are more loyal to their families than even their businesses. People prioritize the ones they know when employing and giving job opportunities. Portuguese people are less conservative and love following their inherited traditions. They like to dress up according to the current fashion. One’s clothes indicate his status in society. Thus, people are conscious of what they wear. Hierarchy is respected in society and even businesses. Certain importance is given to the people who have the authority and own higher ranks in the society (Ozemhoya, 2014). Americans greet other people quite casually. They do not even shake hands sometimes; just smile or nod. Well, this is not the case during a business meeting. Hands are shaken properly at the start and the end of the meeting. They prefer talking to the point. They like their distance while communicating with others. Touching during conversations is considered inappropriate in America. While in Portugal, initial greetings might be reserved, but when people get to know each other, the greetings get more personal. Women kiss each other on the cheeks while men prefer shaking hands (Ozemhoya, 2014).
In the end, it is concluded that both the countries have very different cultures. Americans have become more modern or contemporary. They value individualism. As soon as children get of age, they prefer moving out and handling their expenses on their own. While on the other hand, Portuguese people are very traditional and also religious. Families are very supportive of each other and conservative at the same time. The same norms are being followed now those were passed to the generations before.
References
Golovine, L. R. (2014, November 19). Differences & Similarities in the Portuguese Speaking World. Retrieved from http://sbtmagazine.net/differences-similarities-in-the-portuguese-speaking-world/
Ozemhoya, C. (2014, May 9). Portuguese Culture: A Tale of Two Countries. Retrieved from https://blog.udemy.com/portuguese-culture/
Zimmermann, K. A. (2017, July 13). American Culture: Traditions and Customs of the United States. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html
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