Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese is a variant of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil. Normally Portuguese speakers call it an "accent" (not a dialect). It is generally used in Brazil by the 180 million inhabitants. It is based on the Portuguese dialect of Rio de Janeiro.

There are no changes in grammar (only preferences) from European Portuguese to Brazilian Portuguese – just some colloquial simplifications, such as the dropping of the second person in everyday usage – and almost all vocabulary is the same, with some minor orthographic modifications. People on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean can usually understand each other quite well, while Brazilians smile at European Portuguese unfamiliar accent, Portuguese people are very used to hearing Brazilian Portuguese from TV, music and Brazilian immigrants. The Lisbon accent can be somewhat an ordeal to Brazilians, though, due to its extremely short vowels and guttural consonants, but they get used to Portugal's dialects very quickly.

History

Portuguese was inherited due to the Portuguese colonization of the Americas. The first wave of Portuguese-speaking immigrants was settled in Brazil in the 15th Century. But the language was not widely used. But by the end of the 18th century, was already the national language. It gained words from Amerindian languages such as Lingua Geral, most also reached Portugal, such as "Pipoca" (popcorn) or "Abacaxi" (pineapple). Some of these words have entered in very early stage into the colony's Portuguese dialects, even with the first Portuguese settlers.

Brazilian Portuguese is the variety of Portuguese spread worldwide by Brazilian music. Since Brazil entered Mercosul, it's being learned as a second language in the Spanish-speaking partner countries. A language mix of Portuguese and Spanish is sometimes named Portuñol.

Phonology

In many ways, compared to European Portuguese (EP), Brazilian Portuguese (BP) is conservative in its phonology. In some areas of Brazil, the accent of the Portuguese spoken in the 16th and 17th centuries is maintained. This also occurs in São Tomean Portuguese.

The most important reason why Brazilians can have some difficulty understanding European Portuguese speakers is the pronunciation (phonetics), especially because of the close central unrounded vowel (a sound that does not exist in BP and is there replaced by [i] or [e]. The close central unrounded vowel is here represented by [ɨ] in IPA, and corresponds to \1\ in X-SAMPA). The suppression of these vowels can occur in quick speech at the end of a word, but it may also occur in the middle. This kind of speech causes many words to have their number of syllabs reduced: a word like "quente" (heard to be [ke~t]) or "Setembro" (usually [s'te~bɾu] in EP), sometimes confuse Brazilians who have never heard the European standard. The standard European Portuguese accent for these words are [ke~tɨ] (hot) and[sɨte~bɾu] (September), respectively.

While in EP some syllables may be left out in careless fast speech, in BP syllables may be pronounced where they do not exist. For instance, rítmico is usually pronounced [Ritʃimiku], creating a strange situation - the word becomes not oxitone, paroxitone nor proparoxitone. This Brazilian pronunciation has origin in Portugal's dialects that today lack prestige.

Other changes occur in diphthongs--[bẽj] becomes [bɐ̃j] in many regions of Portugal, and in the north many people use [b] where it should be [v]. The town of Ermesinde becomes [eɾmɨzĩdɨ], while in Brazil it is read [eRmezi~dʒi]. The word presidente, pronounced [pɾɨzidẽtɨ] is read in Brazil as [pɾεzidẽtʃi], with the [tʃi] sound (sound used mainly in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). Another pronunciation that Brazilians are not prepared for is the [ʃi] sound in careless spoken Lisbon Portuguese for written "sc" (piscina--[pɨʃinɐ].

Many vowels are opened in BP and not in EP - for instance the article a, which is pronounced the same way as the contraction à in BP - that is the reason why it is more common to confuse the spelling of those words in Brazil. Less commonly, some vowels are closed in BP - in EP, we have the word harmónico [ɐɾm'ɔniku]; in BP, harmônico [aɾm'oniku].

There are also regions of Brazil--certain areas of the Northeast--where the locals, due to sociolinguistic factors, say that they don't understand Standard Brazilian Portuguese and Standard European Portuguese, but in reality comprehension is almost perfect. All this is due to lack of contact between the different dialects in Brazil, while the Portuguese are used to various Portuguese dialects from the country or abroad. For the most part, the actual differences are less than those of American and European English, although this is hard to verify.

Overall, the Brazilian variety is regarded as more perceptible.

Brazilian Lexicon

Although most lexicon is the same as of Portugal, there are some differences. Especially those of new objects of the 19th and 20th century, after the political separation of the two countries.

Brazil	Portugal	Translation
Água-viva	Alforreca	Jellyfish
aquarela	aguarela	aquarel
alho poró	alho-porro
aterrissagem	aterragem	landing
berinjela	beringela	eggplant
brócolis	brócolos	broccoli
carona	boleia	hitchhiking
carteira de identidade	bilhete de identidade	ID card
concreto	betão	concrete
esparadrapo, band-aid	adesivo, penso rápido	Band-Aid
favela	bairro de lata	slum quarters
fila de pessoas	fila de pessoas, bicha	line-up or queue made by people
fones de ouvido	auscultadores	headphones
grampeador	agrafador	stapler
jaqueta	blusão	jacket
locatário	arrendatário	tenant
mamadeira	biberon, biberão, mamadeira	baby bottle
nadadeiras, pé de pato	barbatanas, pé de pato	paddles
ônibus	autocarro	bus
secretária eletrônica	atendedor de chamadas	answering machine

Spelling

Brazilian Portuguese has different spelling from European and African Portuguese, usually simplified letter combinations. For example the words for action and actual in Brazilian Portuguese are "ação" and "atual", whereas in European Portuguese, they would be "acção" and "actual". For further information on this: Written varieties of the Portuguese language. Most of these differences in spelling are to be eliminated.

Grammar

There are a few different grammatical possibilities (possibilities, because they are understood as correct in every variety, but a speeker from each country has a tendency to choose one way over the other) between the two varieties discussed below, both are understood as part of the language from any place. The difference is that Brazilians or Portuguese use them to a greater or lesser degree, but that also depends on the dialect.

The use of the gerund instead of the infinitive

In BP people say, estou falando (I'm Speaking), estou escrevendo (I'm writing), vou rindo (i'm going laughing) etc. There are exceptions in verbs where the infinitive can not be used in EP. The EP norm is to say "estou a falar", "estou a escrever.", "vou rindo" ("vou a rir" is much used in the North of Portugal). Both solutions are well understood in both countries. The Brazilian form (from where they gain this caracteristic) is also used in Portugal in southern regions and some situations and is considered fully correct. The infinitive is used in Brazil in other situations, such has "voltamos a apresentar" (we are back presenting). And the gerund is always used in all varieties in cause such as "vamos indo" (were are going).

Position of object pronouns

Brazilians usually place the object pronoun before the verb (proclitic position) -- "Ele me viu", while in Portugal it comes after the verb (enclitic position) -- "Ele viu-me". The EP "me" is suppressed and becomes a schwa sound, while the Brazilian "me" is pronounced [mi]. One almost disappears while the other is emphasized. There are several particles and constructions that alter the position of the pronoun. This subject is so complex that it is out of the scope of this article to treat it. Moreover, in spoken BP, subject pronouns replacing object pronouns is common, but frequently regarded as a grammatically incorrect. In Portugal this does not occur. Examples taken from the Portuguese translation of Lituma nos Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa: "Sei-o tão bem como sei que me chamo Lituma." ". . . estendeu-lhe Dionisio um macinho de tabaco negro". "Perseguia-me por todos os Andes". Another difference is combination of the direct object pronoun with the indirect object pronoun to form one word. Thus "me" + "o" becomes "mo", "te" + "os" becomes "tos". This often occurs in spoken EP and always in the formal written form. In Brazil it has disappeared entirely. Adolescent informants confirmed that these forms are used in spoken EP. "O Bilhete? Eu dei-to ontem!". "Não fale assim dela, rogo-lho eu, agora que ela é minha mulher". Some combinations are, however, quite rare, even in EP, namely vo-lo, no-lo and their variants.

The final difference is in the mesoclitic position, that is in the middle of the verb. This is only possible with forms of the simple future or the conditional. Thus we see in the EP formal written language: "Calar-me-ei and Calar-me-ia". To the relief of all, these rather bizarre forms--to the observer--are rarely used in spoken EP. This construction is usually avoided because it is common to replace the future with present and the conditional/future perfect with the imperfect in the spoken Portuguese. For instance, one would say Amanhã deito-me cedo in place of Amanhã deitar-me-ei cedo e Nesse caso tinha-me deitado instead of Nesse caso ter-me-ia deitado. The construction can also be avoided by using particles that attract the pronoun, for instance Nesse caso já me teria deitado. Two examples of mesoclitic pronoun use from Lituma nos Andes: ". . .deitar-lhe-iam a mão e levá-lo-iam à mina abandonada para o atirarem ao poço." These forms are usually written, being uncommon in spoken language.

Use of Subject pronouns (Pronomes de Tratamento)

Tu

In standard European Portuguese, the pronoun "tu" is used as the most intimate form, between friends, brothers and sisters or between workmates of an equal or nearly equal age.

In EP, teachers will usually treat their students with tu, except in college and high school. Tu is also used in commercials, TV/radio shows, political campaigns, for the young target audience, to give the sense of intimacy. For instance, the political party Bloco de Esquerda, whose majority of supporters are less than 30 years old say, say it is "A tua resposta" (your answer).
In BP, although tu and the verb inflexion in the second person singular is now rare, some pronouns such as te, ti, contigo e teu are not, and are used in colloquial contexts. Verbal inflections in the second person singular for the imperative are also common in BP (except for some verbs, such as ser and its inflection sê). Frequently, there are in BP mixes that might be considered solecisms - for example "eu te amo a você", "eu te disse para você ir" and "Me larga, você é lixo!". This is mainly due to the great lack of education of the majority of the Brazilian population.

Você

Equivalent to this treatment is você, which in its simplicity is gaining ground. It is used often on the radio in ads or to talk to listeners. Nevertheless, in some regions of the country it is considered to be a little impolite. While in almost all of Brazil tu has been substituted for você as an intimate form or as a term for equal to equal or for superior to inferior, in Portugal você normally has only the last value--that of equal treatment or of superior to inferior (in age, in social class, or in hierarchy). Only among certain high social classes in Portugal is você used as a loving form of intimacy. The usual form of treatment to someone with whom one has no intimacy is o senhor, which could be seen as rude if used in Portugal. However, especially since the 25th April Revolution, the form você has gained popularity in commercials, TV shows and other contexts. In EP, você is also used between some friends, especially between those who are not very intimate, belong to a high social class, and/or whose ages range from middle-age to old.

Nowadays, «você» is also frequently used as an object pronoun, especially in spoken BP and is usually regarded as grammatically incorrect. In Northern Portugal, with the use of "vós", also seen as incorrect.

standard: Eu vou convosco (I'm going with you) Vernacular (Brazil): Eu vou com vocês Vernacular (Northern Portugal): Eu vou com vós

O senhor

O Senhor, a senhora, você and o/a menino/a are the European variants of the forms of respect and courtesy. In Brazil, você is replacing the other forms. In Portugal, when a person talks to someone who has a professional title or occupies a specific position, the forms of o senhor and a senhora are usually accompanied by the respective title or position: o senhor doutor, a senhora doutora, o senhor engenheiro. In Brazil these forms are not used.

The Imperative

When referring to someone with tu, EP speakers will conjugate the verb in the second person singular of the Imperative Mode for affirmative orders, requests, etc. and in the Present Tense of the Subjunctive Mode for the negative (sometimes referred to as Negative Imperative). The same will happen for the grammatical second person plural in the regions or contexts wherein it is used. Examples:
"Passa-me (tu) o sal, se fazes favor." (=Hand me the salt, please).
"Não me digas (not não me diz) nada!" (=Don't say anything to me).
Examples with vós: "Fazei (vós) como quiserdes.", "Nunca me deixeis (vós) cair em tentação."
When treating someone by "você"/"o senhor" or a group of people by "vocês"/"os senhores", an EP speaker will always use the verbal inflections in the grammatical third person of the subjunctive, since the Imperative only has forms for the second person. BP speakers, as already stated, will always adopt the forms você/vocês/o senhor/os senhores. However, contrary to the consistent use of the EP, which employs the third person in those cases, it is common in spoken BP to, for the singular, conjugate the verb in either the second person or the third person, according to the formality of the context. Examples:
"Cala a boca, você é o próximo!" (=Shut up, you're next; ocurrs only in BP).
"Corra, você tem apenas até amanhã." (=Hurry up, you have only until tomorrow; ocurrs both in EP and BP).
Moreover, wherein the grammatical second person is concerned, rarely will BP speakers use the subjunctive for the Negative Imperative; instead they will employ the Imperative inflexion. This never ocurrs in EP, except for some jocular contexts or when scolding or giving incisive orders to a child. This used to be true for both the singular and plural, but nowadays no one uses the grammatical second person plural in Brazil. Examples:
"Não faz nada, eu te ajudo!" (=Do not do anything, I'll help you; ocurrs mainly in spoken BP).
"Não faças nada, eu ajudo-te!" (same meaning; ocurrs mainly in EP. Compare also the colocation of the pronoun te).

Loan words

Many words of Brazilian origin (also used in other Portuguese language countries) have also entered into English: samba (originally Angolan), bossa nova, cruzeiro, milreis, capoeira(originally Angolan).