The language that unites us is the one that also separates us: Portuguese language use by Brazilian and African youth in Portugal.

This article examines how the Portuguese language, shared by young immigrants and descendants from the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) in Portugal, functions both as a tool for social inclusion and a source of exclusion. Through qualitative interviews with Brazilian and African youth in the municipality of Sintra, the study reveals that linguistic differences—such as variations in accents, pronunciation, and the use of standard European Portuguese (EP) versus Brazilian Portuguese or African Portuguese variants—can lead to glottophobia (linguistic discrimination) and microaggressions, particularly in educational and social contexts. The authors argue that despite sharing the Portuguese language, these youths face challenges due to the dominance of the EP standard norm in Portugal, which is not fully inclusive of other Portuguese variants, and that current language policies insufficiently address this diversity. The paper highlights the need for educational and social policies in Portugal to recognize and value linguistic variation to promote genuine social inclusion of CPLP-origin youth.