Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, ...

native to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of the 214 million inhabitants of Brazil and spoken widely across the

Brazilian diaspora The Brazilian diaspora is the migration of Brazilians to other countries, a mostly recent phenomenon that has been driven mainly by economic recession and hyperinflation that afflicted Brazil in the 1980s and early 1990s, and since 2014, by the p ...

, today consisting of about two million Brazilians who have emigrated to other countries. With a population of over 214 million, Brazil is by far the world's largest Portuguese-speaking nation and the only one in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. Brazilian Portuguese differs, particularly in phonology and prosody, from varieties spoken in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

and

Portuguese-speaking African countries The Portuguese-speaking African countries ( pt, Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa; PALOP), also known as Lusophone Africa, consist of six African countries in which the Portuguese language is an official language: Angola, Cape Verd ...

. In these latter countries, the language tends to have a closer connection to contemporary European Portuguese, partly because Portuguese colonial rule ended much more recently there than in Brazil, partly due to the heavy indigenous and African influence on Brazilian Portuguese. Despite this difference between the spoken varieties, Brazilian and European Portuguese differ little in formal writing and remain

mutually intelligible In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. It is sometimes used as a ...

. However, due to the two reasons mentioned above, the gap between the written, formal language and the spoken language is much wider in Brazilian Portuguese than in European Portuguese. In 1990, the

Community of Portuguese Language Countries The Community of Portuguese Language Countries ( Portuguese: ''Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa''; abbreviated as the CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth (''Comunidade Lusófona''), is an international organization and pol ...

(CPLP), which included representatives from all countries with Portuguese as the official language, reached an agreement on the reform of the Portuguese orthography to unify the two standards then in use by Brazil on one side and the remaining Portuguese-speaking countries on the other. This spelling reform went into effect in Brazil on 1 January 2009. In Portugal, the reform was signed into law by the President on 21 July 2008 allowing for a 6-year adaptation period, during which both orthographies co-existed. All of the CPLP countries have signed the reform. In Brazil, this reform has been in force since January 2016. Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries have since begun using the new orthography. Regional varieties of Brazilian Portuguese, while remaining

, may diverge from each other in matters such as vowel pronunciation and speech intonation.

History

Portugueselanguagedialects-Brazil (colored)

President Trump Meets with President Bolsonaro (49646443832)

Portuguese language in Brazil

The existence of Portuguese in Brazil is a legacy of the

Portuguese colonization of the Americas Portuguese colonization of the Americas () constituted territories in the Americas belonging to the Kingdom of Portugal. Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world in the 15th century. The Treaty of Tordesillas in ...

. The first wave of Portuguese-speaking immigrants settled in Brazil in the 16th century, but the language was not widely used then. For a time Portuguese coexisted with

Língua Geral Língua Geral (, ''General Language'') is the name of two distinct lingua francas, spoken in Brazil: the '' Língua Geral Paulista'' (''Tupi Austral'', or Southern Tupi), which was spoken in the region of Paulistania but is now dead, and the '' L� ...

, a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

based on Amerindian languages that was used by the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionaries, as well as with various

African languages The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families: * Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Souther ...

spoken by the millions of slaves brought into the country between the 16th and 19th centuries. By the end of the 18th century, Portuguese had affirmed itself as the national language. Some of the main contributions to that swift change were the expansion of

colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

to the Brazilian interior, and the growing numbers of Portuguese settlers, who brought their language and became the most important ethnic group in

. Beginning in the early 18th century,

's government made efforts to expand the use of Portuguese throughout the colony, particularly because its consolidation in Brazil would help guarantee to Portugal the lands in dispute with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

(according to various treaties signed in the 18th century, those lands would be ceded to the people who effectively occupied them). Under the administration of the Marquis of Pombal (1750–1777), Brazilians started to favour the use of Portuguese, as the Marquis expelled the Jesuit missionaries (who had taught Língua Geral) and prohibited the use of

Nhengatu The Nheengatu language (Tupi: , nheengatu rionegrino: ''yẽgatu'', nheengatu tradicional: ''nhẽẽgatú'' e nheengatu tapajoawara: ''nheẽgatu''), often written Nhengatu, is an indigenous language of the Tupi–Guarani languages, Tupi-Guaran ...

, or Lingua Franca. The failed colonization attempts by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

during the 16th century and the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

in the Northeast during the 17th century had negligible effects on Portuguese. The substantial waves of non-Portuguese-speaking immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (mostly from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

) were linguistically integrated into the Portuguese-speaking majority within a few generations, except for some areas of the three southernmost states ( Paraná, Santa Catarina, and

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...

), in the case of Germans, Italians and Slavics, and in rural areas of the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

(Italians and Japanese). Nowadays the overwhelming majority of Brazilians speak Portuguese as their mother tongue, with the exception of small, insular communities of descendants of European (German, Polish, Ukrainian, and Italian) and Japanese immigrants, mostly in the South and Southeast as well as villages and reservations inhabited by Amerindians. And even these populations make use of Portuguese to communicate with outsiders and to understand television and radio broadcasts, for example. Moreover, there is a community of Brazilian Sign Language users whose number is estimated by ''

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensi ...

'' to be as high as 3 million.

Loanwords

The development of Portuguese in Brazil (and consequently in the rest of the areas where Portuguese is spoken) has been influenced by other languages with which it has come into contact, mainly in the lexicon: first the Amerindian languages of the original inhabitants, then the various

spoken by the slaves, and finally those of later European and Asian immigrants. Although the vocabulary is still predominantly Portuguese, the influence of other languages is evident in the Brazilian lexicon, which today includes, for example, hundreds of words of Tupi–Guarani origin referring to local flora and fauna; numerous

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

words related to foods, religious concepts, and musical expressions; and English terms from the fields of modern technology and commerce. Although some of these words are more predominant in Brazil, they are also used in Portugal and other countries where Portuguese is spoken. Words derived from the

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to ...

are particularly prevalent in place names (''

Itaquaquecetuba Itaquaquecetuba, also simply called Itaquá, is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 375,011 (2020 est.) in an area of . It sits at an elevation of . The municip ...

,'' '' Pindamonhangaba,'' ''

Caruaru Caruaru is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. The most populous city in the interior of the state, Caruaru is located in the microzone of Agreste and because of its cultural importance, it is nicknamed ''Capital do Agreste'' (Port ...

'', ''

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipa ...

'', ''

Paraíba Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba ...

''). The native languages also contributed the names of most of the plants and animals found in Brazil (and most of these are the official names of the animals in other Portuguese-speaking countries as well), including ''arara'' ("

macaw Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild. Biology Of the many differ ...

"), ''jacaré'' ("South American

caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America f ...

"), ''tucano'' ("

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

"), ''mandioca'' ("

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

"), ''abacaxi'' ("

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

"), and many more. However, many Tupi–Guarani

toponyms Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

did not derive directly from Amerindian expressions, but were in fact coined by European settlers and

Jesuit missionaries , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, who used the ''Língua Geral'' extensively in the first centuries of colonization. Many of the Amerindian words entered the Portuguese lexicon as early as in the 16th century, and some of them were eventually borrowed into other European languages.

provided hundreds of words as well, especially in certain semantic domains, as in the following examples, which are also present in Portuguese: * Food: ''quitute'', ''

quindim Quindim ( — or ) is a popular Brazilian baked dessert with Portuguese heritage, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks and ground coconut. It is a custard and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow ...

'', '' acarajé'', '' moqueca''; * Religious concepts: ''mandinga'', ''

macumba ''Makumba'' () is a term that has been used to describe various religions of the African diaspora found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. It is sometimes considered by non-practitioners to be a form of witchcraft or black magic. The ...

'', ''orixá'' ("

orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. ...

"), ''axé''; * Afro-Brazilian music: ''

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...

'', ''lundu'', ''maxixe'', ''

berimbau The berimbau () is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, originally from Africa, that is now commonly used in Brazil. The berimbau would eventually be incorporated into the practice of the Afro-Brazilian martial art ''capoeir ...

''; * Body-related parts and conditions: ''banguela'' ("toothless"), ''bunda'' ("buttocks"), ''capenga'' ("lame"), ''caxumba'' ("mumps"); * Geographical features: ''cacimba'' ("well"), ''quilombo'' or ''mocambo'' ("runaway slave settlement"), ''senzala'' ("slave quarters"); * Articles of clothing: ''miçanga'' ("beads"), ''abadá'' ("

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th cent ...

or dance uniform"), ''tanga'' ("loincloth, thong"); * Miscellaneous household concepts: ''cafuné'' ("caress on the head"), ''curinga'' ("

joker card The Joker is a playing card found in most modern French-suited card decks, as an addition to the standard four suits (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades). From the second half of the 20th century, they have also been found in Spanish- and Ita ...

"), ''caçula'' ("youngest child," also ''cadete'' and ''filho mais novo''), and ''moleque'' ("brat, spoiled child," or simply "child," depending on the region). Although the African slaves had various ethnic origins, by far most of the borrowings were contributed (1) by

Bantu languages The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The t ...

(above all,

Kimbundu Kimbundu, a Bantu language which has sometimes been called Mbundu or 'North Mbundu' (see Umbundu), is the second-most-widely-spoken Bantu language in Angola. Its speakers are concentrated in the north-west of the country, notably in the Lu ...

, from

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

, and Kikongo from Angola and the area that is now the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

), and (2) by Niger-Congo languages, notably

/Nagô, from what is now

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and Jeje/ Ewe, from what is now

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. There are also many loanwords from other European languages, including

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. In addition, there is a limited set of vocabulary from Japanese. Portuguese has borrowed a large number of words from English. In Brazil, these are especially related to the following fields (note that some of these words are used in other Portuguese-speaking countries): * Technology and science: ''app'', ''mod'', ''layout'', ''briefing'', ''designer'', ''slideshow'', ''

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

'', ''forward'', ''revolver'', ''relay'', ''home office'', ''home theater'', ''bonde'' ("streetcar, tram," from 1860s company bonds), ''chulipa'' (also ''dormente'', "sleeper"), ''bita'' ("beater," railway settlement tool), ''breque'' ("brake"), ''picape/pick-up'', ''hatch'', ''roadster'', ''SUV'', ''air-bag'', ''guincho'' ("winch"), ''tilburí'' (19th century), ''macadame'', ''workshop''; * Commerce and finance: ''commodities'', ''debênture'', ''holding'', ''fundo hedge'', ''angel'', ''truste'', ''dumping'', ''CEO'', ''CFO'', ''MBA'', ''kingsize'', ''fast food'' (), ''delivery service'', ''self service'', ''drive-thru'', ''telemarketing'', ''franchise'' (also ''franquia''), ''

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more ...

'', ''combo'', ''check-in'', ''pet shop'', ''sex shop'', ''flat'', ''loft'', ''motel'', ''suíte'', ''shopping center/mall'', ''food truck'', ''outlet'', ''tagline'', ''slogan'', ''jingle'', ''outdoor'', "outboard" (), ''case'' (advertising), ''showroom''; * Sports: ''surf'', ''skating'', ''futebol'' ( "soccer", or the calque ''ludopédio''), ''voleibol'', ''wakeboard'', ''gol'' ("goal"), ''goleiro'', ''quíper'', ''chutar'', ''chuteira'', ''time'' ("team," ), ''turfe'', ''jockey club'', ''cockpit'', ''box'' (Formula 1), ''pódium'', ''pólo'', ''boxeador'', ''MMA'', ''UFC'', ''rugby'', ''match point'', ''nocaute'' ("knockout"), ''poker'', ''iate club'', ''handicap''; * Miscellaneous cultural concepts: ''okay'', '' gay'', ''hobby'', ''vintage'', ''jam session'', ''junk food'', ''hot dog'', ''bife'' or ''bisteca'' ("steak"), ''rosbife'' ("roast beef"), ''sundae'', ''banana split'', ''milkshake'', (protein) ''shake'', ''araruta'' ("arrowroot"), ''panqueca'', ''cupcake'', ''brownie'', ''sanduíche'', ''X-burguer'', ''boicote'' ("boycott"), ''pet'', ''Yankee'', ''happy hour'', ''

lol LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to ...

'', ''nerd'' , ''geek'' (sometimes , but also ), ''noob'', ''punk'', ''skinhead'' (), ''

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

'' (), ''indie'' (), ''hooligan'', ''cool'', ''vibe'', ''hype'', ''rocker'', ''glam'', ''rave'', ''clubber'', ''cyber'', ''hippie'', ''yuppie'', ''hipster'', ''overdose'', ''junkie'', ''cowboy'', ''mullet'', ''country'', ''rockabilly'', ''pin-up'', ''socialite'', ''playboy'', '' sex appeal'', ''

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exo ...

'', ''after hours'', ''drag queen'', ''go-go boy'', ''

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the l ...

'' (as in "queer lit"), ''bear'' (also the calque ''urso''), ''twink'' (also ''efebo''/

ephebe ''Ephebe'' (from the Greek ''ephebos'' ἔφηβος (plural: ''epheboi'' ἔφηβοι), anglicised as ephebe (plural: ephebes), or Latinate ''ephebus'' (plural: ''ephebi'') is the term for an adolescent male. In ancient Greek society and myth ...

), ''leather (dad)'', ''footing'' (19th century), ''piquenique'' (also ''convescote''), ''bro'', ''rapper'', ''mc'', ''beatbox'', ''break dance'', ''street dance'', ''free style'', ''hang loose'', ''soul'', ''gospel'', ''praise'' (commercial context, music industry), ''bullying'' , ''stalking'' , ''closet'', ''flashback'', ''check-up'', ''ranking'', ''bondage'', ''dark'', ''goth'' (''gótica''), ''vamp'', ''cueca boxer'' or ''cueca slip'' (male underwear), ''black tie'' (or ''traje de gala/cerimônia noturna''), ''smoking'' ("tuxedo"), ''quepe'', ''blazer'', ''jeans'', ''cardigã'', ''blush'', ''make-up artist'', ''hair stylist'', ''gloss labial'' (hybrid, also ''brilho labial''), ''pancake'' ("facial powder," also ''pó de arroz''), ''playground'', ''blecaute'' ("blackout"), ''script'', ''sex symbol'', ''bombshell'', ''blockbuster'', ''multiplex'', ''best-seller'', ''it-girl'', ''fail'' (web context), ''trolling'' (''trollar''), ''blogueiro'', ''photobombing'', ''selfie'', ''sitcom'', ''stand-up comedy'', ''non-sense'', ''non-stop'', ''

gamer A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routin ...

'', '' camper'', ''crooner'', ''backing vocal'', ''roadie'', ''playback'', ''overdrive'', ''food truck'', ''monster truck'', ''picape/pick-up'' (DJ), ''coquetel'' ("cocktail"), ''drinque'', ''pub'', ''bartender'', ''barman'', ''lanche'' ("portable lunch"), ''underground'' (cultural), ''flop'' (movie/TV context and slang), ''DJ'', ''VJ'', ''

haole ''Haole'' (; Hawaiian ) is a Hawaiian term for individuals who are not Native Hawaiian, and is applied to people primarily of European ancestry. Background The origins of the word predate the 1778 arrival of Captain James Cook, as recorded in s ...

'' (slang, brought from Hawaii by surfers). Many of these words are used throughout the Lusosphere. French has contributed to Portuguese words for foods, furniture, and luxurious fabrics, as well as for various abstract concepts. Examples include ''hors-concours'', ''chic'', ''metrô'', ''batom'', ''soutien'', ''buquê'', ''abajur'', ''guichê'', ''içar'', ''chalé'', ''cavanhaque'' (from Louis-Eugène Cavaignac), ''calibre'', ''habitué'', ''clichê'', ''jargão'', ''manchete'', ''jaqueta'', ''boîte de nuit'' or ''boate'', ''cofre'', ''rouge'', ''frufru'', ''chuchu'', ''purê'', ''petit gâteau'', ''pot-pourri'', ''ménage'', ''enfant gâté'', ''enfant terrible'', ''garçonnière'', ''patati-patata'', ''parvenu'', ''détraqué'', ''enquête'', ''equipe'', ''malha'', ''fila'', ''burocracia'', ''birô'', ''affair'', ''grife'', ''gafe'', ''croquette'', ''crocante'', ''croquis'', ''femme fatale'', ''noir'', ''marchand'', ''paletó'', ''gabinete'', ''grã-fino'', ''blasé'', ''de bom tom'', ''bon-vivant'', ''guindaste'', ''guiar'', ''flanar'', ''bonbonnière'', ''calembour'', ''jeu de mots'', ''vis-à-vis'', ''tête-à-tête'', ''mecha'', ''blusa'', ''conhaque'', ''mélange'', ''bric-brac'', ''broche'', ''pâtisserie'', ''peignoir'', ''négliglé'', ''robe de chambre'', ''déshabillé'', ''lingerie'', ''corset'', ''corselet'', ''corpete'', ''pantufas'', ''salopette'', ''cachecol'', ''cachenez'', ''cachepot'', ''colete'', ''colher'', ''prato'', ''costume'', ''serviette'', ''garde-nappe'', ''avant-première'', ''avant-garde'', ''debut'', ''crepe'', ''frappé'' (including slang), ''canapé'', ''paetê'', ''tutu'', ''mignon'', ''pince-nez'', ''grand prix'', ''parlamento'', ''patim'', ''camuflagem'', ''blindar'' (from German), ''guilhotina'', ''à gogo'', ''pastel'', ''filé'', ''silhueta'', ''menu'', ''maître d'hôtel'', ''bistrô'', ''chef'', ''coq au vin'', ''rôtisserie'', ''maiô'', ''bustiê'', ''collant'', ''fuseau'', ''cigarette'', ''crochê'', ''tricô'', ''tricot'' ("pullover, sweater"), ''calção'', ''culotte'', ''botina'', ''bota'', ''galocha'', ''scarpin'' (ultimately Italian), ''sorvete'', ''glacê'', ''boutique'', ''vitrine'', ''manequim'' (ultimately Dutch), ''machê'', ''tailleur'', ''echarpe'', ''fraque'', ''laquê'', ''gravata'', ''chapéu'', ''boné'', ''edredom'', ''gabardine'', ''fondue'', ''buffet'', ''toalete'', ''pantalon'', ''calça Saint-Tropez'', ''manicure'', ''pedicure'', ''balayage'', ''limusine'', ''caminhão'', ''guidão'', ''cabriolê'', ''capilé'', ''garfo'', ''nicho'', ''garçonete'', ''chenille'', ''chiffon'', ''chemise'', ''chamois'', ''plissê'', ''balonê'', ''frisê'', ''chaminé'', ''guilhochê'', ''château'', ''bidê'', ''redingote'', ''chéri(e)'', ''flambado'', ''bufante'', ''pierrot'', ''torniquete'', ''molinete'', ''canivete'', ''guerra'' (Occitan), ''escamotear'', ''escroque'', ''flamboyant'', ''maquilagem'', ''visagismo'', ''topete'', ''coiffeur'', ''tênis'', ''cabine'', ''concièrge'', ''chauffeur'', ''hangar'', ''garagem'', ''haras'', ''calandragem'', ''cabaré'', ''coqueluche'', ''coquine'', ''coquette'' (''cocotinha''), ''galã'', ''bas-fond'' (used as slang), ''mascote'', ''estampa'', ''sabotagem'', ''RSVP'', ''rendez-vous'', ''chez...'', ''à la carte'', ''à la ...'', ''forró, forrobodó'' (from 19th-century ''faux-bourdon''). Brazilian Portuguese tends to adopt French suffixes as in ''aterrissagem'' (Fr. ''atterrissage'' "landing viation), differently from European Portuguese (cf. Eur.Port. ''aterragem''). Brazilian Portuguese (BP) also tends to adopt culture-bound concepts from French. That is the difference between BP ''estação'' ("station") and EP ''gare'' ("train station," Portugal also uses ''estação''). BP ''trem'' is from English ''train'' (ultimately from French), while EP ''comboio'' is from Fr. ''convoi''. An evident example of the dichotomy between English and French influences can be noted in the use of the expressions ''know-how'', used in a technical context, and ''savoir-faire'' in a social context. Portugal uses the expression ''hora de ponta'', from French ''l'heure de pointe'', to refer to the "rush hour," while Brazil has ''horário de pico, horário de pique'' and ''hora do rush''. Both ''bilhar'', from French ''billiard'', and the phonetic adaptation ''sinuca'' are used interchangeably for "snooker." Contributions from

and

include terms for foods, music, the arts, and architecture. From German, besides strudel,

pretzel A pretzel (), from German pronunciation, standard german: Breze(l) ( and French / Alsatian: ''Bretzel'') is a type of baked bread made from dough that is commonly shaped into a knot. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical f ...

bratwurst Bratwurst () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German ''Brätwurst'', from ''brät-'', finely chopped meat, and ''Wurst'', sausage, although in modern German it is o ...

kuchen Kuchen (), the German word for cake, is used in other languages as the name for several different types of savory or sweet desserts, pastries, and gateaux. Most Kuchen have eggs, flour and sugar as common ingredients while also, but not always ...

(also ''bolo cuca''),

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , "sour cabbage") is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ...

(also spelled ''chucrute'' from French ''choucroute'' and pronounced ),

wurstsalat Wurstsalat (German, literally ''sausage salad'') is a tart sausage salad prepared with distilled white vinegar, oil and onions. A variation of the recipe adds strips of pickled gherkin. It is generally made from boiled sausage like Lyoner, st ...

sauerbraten Sauerbraten is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be prepared from a variety of meats, most often from ...

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

, biergarten, ''zelt'', Osterbaum, Bauernfest,

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shootin ...

, ''hinterland'', ''Kindergarten'', ''bock'', ''fassbier'' and ''chope'' (from ''Schoppen''), there are also abstract terms from German such as ''Prost'', ''zum wohl'', ''doppelgänger'' (also ''sósia''), ''über'', ''brinde'', ''kitsch'', ''ersatz'', ''blitz'' ("police action"), and possibly ''encrenca'' ("difficult situation," perhaps from Ger. ''ein Kranker'', "a sick person"). ''Xumbergar'', ''brega'' (from marshal Friedrich Hermann Von Schönberg), and ''xote'' (musical style and dance) from ''schottisch''. A significant number of beer brands in Brazil are named after German culture-bound concepts and place names because the brewing process was brought by German immigrants. Italian loan words and expressions, in addition to those that are related to food or music, include ''tchau'' (''"

ciao ''Ciao'' ( , ) is an informal salutation in the Italian language that is used for both "hello" and "goodbye". Originally from the Venetian language, it has entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world. Its du ...

"''), ''nonna'', ''nonnino'', ''imbróglio'', ''bisonho'', ''entrevero'', '' panetone'', ''colomba'', ''è vero'', ''cicerone'', ''male male'', ''capisce'', ''mezzo'', ''va bene'', ''ecco'', ''ecco fatto'', ''ecco qui'', ''caspita'', ''schifoso'', ''gelateria'', ''cavolo'', ''incavolarsi'', ''pivete'', ''engambelar'', ''andiamo via'', ''

tiramisu Tiramisu ( it, tiramisù , from , "pick me up" or "cheer me up") is a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured w ...

'', ''

tarantella () is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in time (sometimes or ), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the mo ...

'', ''

grappa Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof). Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e., the pomac ...

'', ''stratoria''. Terms of endearment of Italian origin include ''amore'', ''bambino/a'', ''ragazzo/a'', ''caro/a mio/a'', ''tesoro'', and ''bello/a''; also ''babo'', ''mamma'', ''baderna'' (from ''Marietta Baderna''), ''carcamano'', ''torcicolo'', ''casanova'', ''noccia'', ''noja'', ''che me ne frega'', ''io ti voglio tanto bene'', and ''ti voglio bene assai''. Fewer words have been borrowed from Japanese. The latter borrowings are also mostly related to food and drink or culture-bound concepts, such as ''quimono'', from Japanese

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

, ''karaokê'', ''yakisoba'', ''temakeria'', ''sushi bar'', ''mangá'', ''biombo'' (from Portugal) (from ''byó bu sukurín'', "folding screen"), ''jó ken pô'' or ''jankenpon'' ("

rock-paper-scissors Rock paper scissors (also known by other orderings of the three items, with "rock" sometimes being called "stone," or as Rochambeau, roshambo, or ro-sham-bo) is a hand game originating in China, usually played between two people, in which each p ...

," played with the Japanese words being said before the start), ''saquê'', ''sashimi'', ''tempurá'' (a lexical "loan repayment" from a Portuguese loanword in Japanese), ''hashi'', ''wasabi'', ''johrei'' (religious philosophy), ''nikkei'', ''gaijin'' ("non-Japanese"), ''

issei is a Japanese-language term used by ethnic Japanese in countries in North America and South America to specify the Japanese people who were the first generation to immigrate there. are born in Japan; their children born in the new country are ...

'' ("Japanese immigrant"), as well as the different descending generations ''

nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

'', ''

sansei is a Japanese and North American English term used in parts of the world such as South America and North America to specify the children of children born to ethnic Japanese in a new country of residence. The '' nisei'' are considered the second ...

'', '' yonsei'', ''gossei'', ''rokussei'' and ''shichissei''. Other Japanese loanwords include racial terms, such as ''ainoko'' ("Eurasian") and '' hafu'' (from English ''half''); work-related, socioeconomic, historical, and ethnic terms limited to some spheres of society, including ''koseki'' ("genealogical research"), ''dekassegui'' (" dekasegi"), ''arubaito'', ''kaizen'', ''seiketsu'', ''karoshi'' ("death by work excess"), ''

burakumin is a name for a low-status social group in Japan. It is a term for ethnic Japanese people with occupations considered as being associated with , such as executioners, undertakers, slaughterhouse workers, butchers, or tanners. During Japan's ...

'', ''kamikaze'', ''seppuku'', ''harakiri'', ''jisatsu'', ''jigai'', and ''ainu''; martial arts terms such as ''karatê'', ''aikidô'', ''bushidô'', ''katana'', ''judô'', ''jiu-jítsu'', ''kyudô'', ''

nunchaku is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person w ...

'', and ''sumô''; terms related to writing, such as ''kanji'', ''kana'', ''katakana'', ''hiragana'', and ''romaji''; and terms for art concepts such as ''kabuki'' and ''ikebana''. Other culture-bound terms from Japanese include ''ofurô'' ("Japanese bathtub"), ''Nihong'' ("target news niche and websites"), '' kabocha'' (type of pumpkin introduced in Japan by the Portuguese), ''

reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which a " universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the ...

'', and '' shiatsu''. Some words have popular usage while others are known for a specific context in specific circles. Terms used among Nikkei descendants include ''oba-chan'' ("grandma"); ''onee-san'', ''onee-chan'', ''onii-san'', and ''onii-chan''; toasts and salutations such as ''kampai'' and ''banzai''; and some

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

suffixes of address such as ''chan'', ''kun'', ''sama'', ''san'', and ''senpai''. Chinese contributed a few terms such as '' tai chi chuan'' and ''chá'' ("tea"), also in European Portuguese. The loan vocabulary includes several calques, such as ''arranha-céu'' ("skyscraper," from French ''gratte-ciel'') and ''cachorro-quente'' (from English ''hot dog'') in Portuguese worldwide.

Other influences

Use of the reflexive ''me'', especially in São Paulo and the South, is thought to be an Italianism, attributed to the large Italian immigrant population, as are certain prosodic features, including patterns of intonation and stress, also in the South and

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

. Other scholars, however, notably Naro & Scherre, have noted that the same or similar processes can be observed in the European variant, as well as in many varieties of Spanish, and that the main features of Brazilian Portuguese can be traced directly from 16th-century European Portuguese. In fact, they find many of the same phenomena in other Romance languages, including Aranese Occitan,

and

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

; they explain these phenomena as due to natural Romance

drift Drift or Drifts may refer to: Geography * Drift or ford (crossing) of a river * Drift, Kentucky, unincorporated community in the United States * In Cornwall, England: ** Drift, Cornwall, village ** Drift Reservoir, associated with the village ...

. Naro and Scherre affirm that Brazilian Portuguese is not a "decreolized" form, but rather the " nativization" of a "radical Romanic" form. They assert that the phenomena found in Brazilian Portuguese are inherited from Classical Latin and Old Portuguese. According to another linguist, vernacular Brazilian Portuguese is continuous with European Portuguese, while its phonetics are more conservative in several aspects, characterizing the nativization of a koiné formed by several regional European Portuguese varieties brought to Brazil, modified by natural drift.

Written and spoken languages

The written language taught in Brazilian

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...

s has historically been based by law on the standard of

and until the 19th century, Portuguese writers often were regarded as models by some Brazilian authors and university professors. However, this aspiration to unity was severely weakened in the 20th century by nationalist movements in literature and the arts, which awakened in many Brazilians a desire for a national style uninfluenced by the standards of Portugal. Later, agreements were reached to preserve at least an orthographic unity throughout the Portuguese-speaking world, including the African and Asian variants of the language (which are typically more similar to EP, due to a Portuguese presence lasting into the second half of the 20th century). On the other hand, the spoken language was not subject to any of the constraints that applied to the written language, and consequently Brazilian Portuguese sounds different from any of the other varieties of the language. Brazilians, when concerned with pronunciation, look to what is considered the national standard variety, and never to the European one. This linguistic independence was fostered by the tension between Portugal and the settlers (immigrants) in Brazil from the time of the country's de facto settlement, as immigrants were forbidden to speak freely in their native languages in Brazil for fear of severe punishment by the Portuguese authorities. Lately, Brazilians in general have had some exposure to European speech, through TV and music. Often one will see Brazilian actors working in Portugal and Portuguese actors working in Brazil. Modern Brazilian Portuguese has been highly influenced by other languages introduced by immigrants through the past century, specifically by German, Italian and Japanese immigrants. This high intake of immigrants not only caused the incorporation and/or adaptation of many words and expressions from their native language into local language, but also created specific dialects, such as the German ''Hunsrückisch'' dialect in the South of Brazil.

Formal writing

Gabinete Português de Leitura no Recife 02

The written Brazilian standard differs from the European one to about the same extent that written American English differs from written British English. The differences extend to spelling, lexicon, and grammar. However, with the entry into force of the Orthographic Agreement of 1990 in Portugal and in Brazil since 2009, these differences were drastically reduced. Several Brazilian writers have been awarded with the highest prize of the Portuguese language. The

Camões Prize The Camões Prize (Portuguese, ''Prémio Camões'', ), named after Luís de Camões, is the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language. It is awarded annually by the Portuguese ''Direção-Geral do Livro, dos Arquivos e das Bi ...

awarded annually by Portuguese and Brazilians is often regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Literature for works in Portuguese.

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (), often known by his surnames as Machado de Assis, ''Machado,'' or ''Bruxo do Cosme Velho''Vainfas, p. 505. (21 June 1839 – 29 September 1908), was a pioneer Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright and short stor ...

, João Guimarães Rosa,

Carlos Drummond de Andrade Carlos Drummond de Andrade () (October 31, 1902 – August 17, 1987) was a Brazilian poet and writer, considered by some as the greatest Brazilian poet of all time. He has become something of a national cultural symbol in Brazil, where his wi ...

Graciliano Ramos Graciliano Ramos de Oliveira () (October 27, 1892 – March 20, 1953) was a Brazilian modernist writer, politician and journalist. He is known worldwide for his portrayal of the precarious situation of the poor inhabitants of the Brazilian ''sert� ...

João Cabral de Melo Neto João Cabral de Melo Neto (January 6, 1920 – October 9, 1999) was a Brazilian poet and diplomat, and one of the most influential writers in late Brazilian modernism. He was awarded the 1990 Camões Prize and the 1992 Neustadt International ...

Cecília Meireles Cecília Benevides de Carvalho Meireles (7 November 1901 – 9 November 1964) was a Brazilian writer and educator, known principally as a poet. She is a canonical name of Brazilian Modernism, one of the great female poets in the Portuguese l ...

Clarice Lispector Clarice Lispector (born Chaya Pinkhasivna Lispector ( uk, Хая Пінкасівна Ліспектор); December 10, 1920December 9, 1977) was a Ukrainian-born Brazilian novelist and short story writer. Her innovative, idiosyncratic works ex ...

José de Alencar José Martiniano de Alencar (May 1, 1829 – December 12, 1877) was a Brazilian lawyer, politician, orator, novelist and dramatist. He is considered to be one of the most famous and influential Brazilian Romantic novelists of the 19th cent ...

Rachel de Queiroz Rachel de Queiroz (, November 17, 1910 – November 4, 2003) was a Brazilian author, translator and journalist. Biography Rachel de Queiroz was born on 17 November 1910 in Fortaleza, capital of the northeastern state of Ceará. During her ch ...

Jorge Amado Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in ...

Castro Alves Antônio Frederico de Castro Alves (14 March 1847 – 6 July 1871) was a Brazilian poet and playwright, famous for his abolitionist and republican poems. One of the most famous poets of the "Condorism", he won the epithet of "O Poeta dos Es ...

Antonio Candido Antonio Candido de Mello e Souza (July 24, 1918 – May 12, 2017) was a Brazilian writer, professor, sociologist, and literary critic. As a critic of Brazilian literature, he is regarded as having been one of the foremost scholars on the subject ...

Autran Dourado Waldomiro Freitas Autran Dourado (1926 – September 30, 2012) was a Brazilian novelist. Dourado was born in Patos de Minas, state of Minas Gerais. Going against current trends in Brazilian literature, Dourado's works display much concern with ...

, Rubem Fonseca, Lygia Fagundes Telles and

Euclides da Cunha Euclides da Cunha (, January 20, 1866 – August 15, 1909) was a Brazilian journalist, sociologist and engineer. His most important work is '' Os Sertões'' (''Rebellion in the Backlands''), a non-fictional account of the military expeditions ...

are Brazilian writers recognized for writing the most outstanding work in the Portuguese language.

Spelling differences

The Brazilian spellings of certain words differ from those used in Portugal and the other Portuguese-speaking countries. Some of these differences are merely orthographic, but others reflect true differences in pronunciation. Until the implementation of the 1990 orthographic reform, a major subset of the differences related to the consonant clusters ''cc'', ''cç'', ''ct'', ''pc'', ''pç'', and ''pt''. In many cases, the letters ''c'' or ''p'' in syllable-final position have become silent in all varieties of Portuguese, a common phonetic change in Romance languages (cf. Spanish ''objeto'', French ''objet''). Accordingly, they stopped being written in BP (compare

spelling standards), but continued to be written in other Portuguese-speaking countries. For example, the word ''acção'' ("action") in European Portuguese became ''ação'' in Brazil, European ''óptimo'' ("optimum") became ''ótimo'' in Brazil, and so on, where the consonant was silent both in BP and EP, but the words were spelled differently. Only in a small number of words is the consonant silent in Brazil and pronounced elsewhere or vice versa, as in the case of BP ''fato'', but EP ''facto''. However, the new Portuguese language orthographic reform led to the elimination of the writing of the silent consonants also in the EP, making now the writing system virtually identical in all of the Portuguese-speaking countries. However, BP has retained those silent consonants in a few cases, such as ''detectar'' ("to detect"). In particular, BP generally distinguishes in sound and writing between ''secção'' ("section" as in ''anatomy'' or ''drafting'') and ''seção'' ("section" of an organization); whereas EP uses ''secção'' for both senses. Another major set of differences is the BP usage of ''ô'' or ''ê'' in many words where EP has ''ó'' or ''é'', such as BP ''neurônio'' / EP ''neurónio'' ("neuron") and BP ''arsênico'' / EP ''arsénico'' ("arsenic"). These spelling differences are due to genuinely different pronunciations. In EP, the vowels ''e'' and ''o'' may be open (''é'' or ''ó'') or closed (''ê'' or ''ô'') when they are stressed before one of the nasal consonants ''m'', ''n'' followed by a vowel, but in BP they are always closed in this environment. The variant spellings are necessary in those cases because the general Portuguese spelling rules mandate a stress diacritic in those words, and the Portuguese diacritics also encode vowel quality. Another source of variation is the spelling of the sound before ''e'' and ''i''. By Portuguese spelling rules, that sound can be written either as ''j'' (favored in BP for certain words) or ''g'' (favored in EP). Thus, for example, we have BP ''berinjela ''/ EP ''beringela'' ("eggplant").

Language register – formal vs. informal

Gabinete Português de Leitura no Recife 01

The linguistic situation of the BP informal speech in relation to the standard language is controversial. There are authors (Bortoni, Kato, Mattos e Silva, Bagno, Perini) who describe it as a case of

diglossia In linguistics, diglossia () is a situation in which two dialects or languages are used (in fairly strict compartmentalization) by a single language community. In addition to the community's everyday or vernacular language variety (labeled ...

, considering that informal BP has developed, both in

phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...

and

grammar In linguistics, the grammar of a natural language is its set of structural constraints on speakers' or writers' composition of clauses, phrases, and words. The term can also refer to the study of such constraints, a field that includes doma ...

, in its own particular way. Accordingly, the formal register of Brazilian Portuguese has a written and spoken form. The written formal register (FW) is used in almost all printed media and written communication, is uniform throughout the country and is the "Portuguese" officially taught at school. The spoken formal register (FS) is essentially a phonetic rendering of the written form. (FS) is used in very formal situations, such as speeches or ceremonies or when reading directly out of a text. While (FS) is necessarily uniform in lexicon and grammar, it shows noticeable regional variations in pronunciation.

Characteristics of informal Brazilian Portuguese

The main and most general (i.e. not considering various regional variations) characteristics of the informal variant of BP are the following. While these characteristics are typical of Brazilian speech, some may also be present to varying degrees in other Lusophone areas, particular in Angola, Mozambique and Cabo Verde, which frequently incorporate certain features common to both the South American and European varieties. Although these characteristics would be readily understood in Portugal due to exposure to Brazilian media, other forms are preferred there (except the points concerning "estar" and "dar"). * dropping the first syllable of the verb ''estar'' (" tatal/incidentalto be") throughout the conjugation (''ele tá'' ("he's") instead of ''ele está'' ("he is"), ''nós táva(mos/mo)'' ("we were") instead of ''nós estávamos'' ("we were")); * dropping prepositions before subordinate and relative clauses beginning with conjunctions (''Ele precisa que vocês ajudem'' instead of ''Ele precisa de que vocês ajudem''); * replacing ''haver'' when it means "to exist" with ''ter'' ("to have"): ''Tem muito problema na cidade'' ("There are many problems in the city") is much more frequent in speech than ''Há muitos problemas na cidade.'' * lack of third-person object pronouns, which may be replaced by their respective subject pronouns or omitted completely (''eu vi ele'' or even just ''eu vi'' instead of ''eu o vi'' for "I saw him/it") * lack of second-person verb forms (except for some parts of Brazil) and, in various regions, plural third-person forms as well. For example ''tu cantas'' becomes ''tu canta'' or ''você canta'' (Brazilian uses the pronoun "você" a lot but "tu" is more localized. Some states never use it but in some locales such as Rio Grande do Sul, "você" is almost never used in informal speech, with "tu" being used instead, using both second and third-person forms depending on the speaker) * lack of the relative pronoun ''cujo/cuja'' ("whose"), which is replaced by ''que'' ("that/which"), either alone (the possession being implied) or along with a possessive pronoun or expression, such as ''dele/dela'' (''A mulher cujo filho morreu'' ("the woman whose son died") becomes ''A mulher que o filho elamorreu'' ("the woman that erson died")) * frequent use of the pronoun ''a gente'' ("people") with 3rd p. sg verb forms instead of the 1st p. pl verb forms and pronoun ''nós'' ("we/us"), though both are formally correct and ''nós'' is still much used. * obligatory proclisis in all cases (always ''me disseram'', rarely ''disseram-me''), as well as use of the pronoun between two verbs in a verbal expression (always ''vem me treinando'', never ''me vem treinando'' or ''vem treinando-me'') * contracting certain high-frequency phrases, which is not necessarily unacceptable in standard BP (''para'' > ''pra''; ''dependo de ele ajudar'' > ''dependo 'dele' ajudar''; ''com as'' > ''cas''; ''deixa eu ver'' > ''xo vê/xeu vê''; ''você está'' > ''cê tá'' etc.) * preference for ''para'' over ''a'' in the directional meaning (''Para onde você vai?'' instead of ''Aonde você vai?'' ("Where are you going?")) * use of certain idiomatic expressions, such as ''Cadê o carro?'' instead of ''Onde está o carro?'' ("Where is the car?") * lack of indirect object pronouns, especially ''lhe'', which are replaced by ''para'' plus their respective personal pronoun (''Dê um copo de água para ele'' instead of ''Dê-lhe um copo de água'' ("Give him a glass of water"); ''Quero mandar uma carta para você'' instead of ''Quero lhe mandar uma carta'' ("I want to send you a letter")) * use of ''aí'' as a pronoun for indefinite direct objects (similar to French 'en'). Examples: ''fala aí'' ("say it"), ''esconde aí'' ("hide it"), ''pera aí'' (''espera aí'' = "wait a moment"); * impersonal use of the verb ''dar'' ("to give") to express that something is feasible or permissible. Example: ''dá pra eu comer?'' ("can/may I eat it?"); ''deu pra eu entender'' ("I could understand"); ''dá pra ver um homem na foto'' instead of ''pode ver-se um homem na foto'' ("it's possible to see a man in the picture") *though often regarded as "uneducated" by language purists, some regions and social groups tend to avoid "redundant" plural agreement in article-noun-verb sequences in the spoken language, since the plural article alone is sufficient to express plurality. Examples: ''os menino vai pra escola'' ("the luralboy goes to school") rather than ''os meninos vão para a escola'' ("the boys go to school"). Gender agreement, however, is always made even when plural agreement is omitted: ''os menino esperto'' (the smart boys) vs. ''as menina esperta'' (the smart girls). * Use of a contraction of the imperative form of the verb "to look" ("olhar" = olha = ó) suffixed to adverbs of the place "aqui" and "ali" ("here" and "there") when directing someone's attention to something: "Olha, o carro dele 'ta ali-ó" (Look, his car's there/that's where his car is). When this is spoken reproduced in subtitles for audiovisual media, it is usually written in the non-contracted form ("aqui olha"), modern pronunciation notwithstanding.

Grammar

Syntactic and morphological features

Topic-prominent language

Modern

linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

studies have shown that Brazilian Portuguese is a topic-prominent or topic- and subject-prominent language. Sentences with topic are extensively used in Portuguese, perhaps more in Brazilian Portuguese most often by means of turning an element (object or verb) in the sentence into an introductory phrase, on which the body of the sentence constitutes a comment (topicalization), thus emphasizing it, as in ''Esses assuntos eu não conheço bem,'' literally, "These subjects I don't know hemwell" (although this sentence would be perfectly acceptable in Portugal as well). In fact, in the Portuguese language, the anticipation of the verb or object at the beginning of the sentence, repeating it or using the respective pronoun referring to it, is also quite common, e.g. in ''Essa menina, eu não sei o que fazer com ela'' ("This girl, I don't know what to do with her") or ''Com essa menina eu não sei o que fazer'' ("With this girl I don't know what to do"). The use of redundant pronouns for means of topicalization is considered grammatically incorrect, because the topicalized noun phrase, according to traditional European analysis, has no syntactic function. This kind of construction, however, is often used in European Portuguese. Brazilian grammars traditionally treat this structure similarly, rarely mentioning such a thing as ''topic''. Nevertheless, the so-called

anacoluthon An anacoluthon (; from the Greek ''anakolouthon'', from ''an-'': "not" and ἀκόλουθος ''akólouthos'': "following") is an unexpected discontinuity in the expression of ideas within a sentence, leading to a form of words in which there is l ...

has taken on a new dimension in Brazilian Portuguese. The poet

once wrote a short ''metapoema'' (a ''metapoem'', i. e., a poem about poetry, a specialty for which he was renowned) treating the concept of ''anacoluto'': In colloquial language, this kind of ''anacoluto'' may even be used when the subject itself is the topic, only to add more emphasis to this fact, e.g. the sentence ''Essa menina, ela costuma tomar conta de cachorros abandonados'' ("This girl, she usually takes care of abandoned dogs"). This structure highlights the topic, and could be more accurately translated as "As for this girl, she usually takes care of abandoned dogs." The use of this construction is particularly common with compound subjects, as in, e.g., ''Eu e ela, nós fomos passear'' ("She and I, we went for a walk"). This happens because the traditional syntax (''Eu e ela fomos passear'') places a plural-conjugated verb immediately following an argument in the singular, which may sound unnatural to Brazilian ears. The redundant pronoun thus clarifies the verbal inflection in such cases.

Progressive

Portuguese makes extensive use of verbs in the progressive aspect, almost as in English. Brazilian Portuguese seldom has the present continuous construct ''estar a'' + infinitive, which, in contrast, has become quite common in European over the last few centuries. BP maintains the Classical Portuguese form of continuous expression, which is made by ''estar'' +

gerund In linguistics, a gerund ( abbreviated ) is any of various nonfinite verb forms in various languages; most often, but not exclusively, one that functions as a noun. In English, it has the properties of both verb and noun, such as being modifiab ...

. Thus, Brazilians will always write ''ela está dançando'' ("she is dancing"), not ''ela está a dançar''. The same restriction applies to several other uses of the gerund: BP uses ''ficamos conversando'' ("we kept on talking") and ''ele trabalha cantando'' ("he sings while he works"), but rarely ''ficamos a conversar'' and ''ele trabalha a cantar'' as is the case in most varieties of EP. BP retains the combination ''a'' + infinitive for uses that are not related to continued action, such as ''voltamos a correr'' ("we went back to running"). Some varieties of EP amely_from_Alentejo,_Algarve,_Açores_(Azores),_and_Madeira.html" ;"title="Alentejo.html" ;"title="amely from

amely_from_Alentejo,_Algarve,_Açores_(Azores),_and_Madeira">Alentejo.html"_;"title="amely_from_Alentejo">amely_from_Alentejo,_Algarve,_Açores_(Azores),_and_Madeiraalso_tend_to_feature_''estar''_+_gerund_ In_linguistics,_a_gerund_(__abbreviated_)_is_any_of_various_nonfinite_verb_forms_in_various_languages;_most_often,_but_not_exclusively,_one_that_functions_as_a__noun._In_English,_it_has_the_properties_of_both_verb_and_noun,_such_as_being_modifiab_...

,_as_in_Brazil.

_Personal_pronouns

_=Syntax

= In_general,_the_dialects_that_gave_birth_to_Portuguese_had_a_quite_flexible_use_of_the_object_pronouns_in_the_proclitic_or_enclitic_positions._In_Classical_Portuguese,_the_use_of_proclisis_was_very_extensive,_while,_on_the_contrary,_in_modern_European_Portuguese_the_use_of_enclisis_has_become_indisputably_majoritary. Brazilians_normally_place_the_pronoun.html" "title="Alentejo">amely from Alentejo, Algarve, Açores (Azores), and Madeira">Alentejo.html" ;"title="amely from Alentejo">amely from Alentejo, Algarve, Açores (Azores), and Madeiraalso tend to feature ''estar'' +

, as in Brazil.

Personal pronouns

=Syntax

= In general, the dialects that gave birth to Portuguese had a quite flexible use of the object pronouns in the proclitic or enclitic positions. In Classical Portuguese, the use of proclisis was very extensive, while, on the contrary, in modern European Portuguese the use of enclisis has become indisputably majoritary. Brazilians normally place the pronoun">object pronoun In linguistics, an object pronoun is a personal pronoun that is used typically as a grammatical object: the direct or indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. Object pronouns contrast with subject pronouns. Object pronouns in E ...