Final answer:
The reason Brazilians primarily speak Portuguese is due to historical colonization by Portugal. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 allowed Portugal to claim Brazil as its territory. As a result, Portuguese was the language adopted and ingrained in the culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reason why Brazilians today speak primarily Portuguese, even though the majority of the continent speaks Spanish, traces back to historical colonization. Portugal claimed Brazil as part of its empire during the era of European colonization. This claim was established and recognized under the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the newfound lands outside of Europe between Portugal and Spain, attributing Brazil to Portugal.
In the development of the Portuguese possession, African slaves were brought to the region and the Portuguese language was established as the official language. Consequently, the Portuguese language became ingrained in the Brazilian culture and remains the dominant language to this day. Hence, the historical colonization of Brazil by Portugal is the main reason why Portuguese is predominantly spoken in Brazil today.
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