Opening lecture at 30th EMWA Conference in Lisbon

1. Brazilian Portuguese, European
Portuguese, and some ga(s)ps in
the middle…
Andrea Palluch

3. Languages
Portuguese:
Indo-European
Grouped in families
(similarities)
Great and profound
differences
How did they originate?

4. Migration Waves
 ~60 different languages
 Spoken in Iran, India,
parts of Europe and
Americas
 Greek, English,
Russian, French, Hindi:
all ‘siblings’
Indo-European languages

5. 4000 - 3500 BC
Latin

6. Latins and Rome
 Rome is built between 700-500BC
 An ancient form of Latin is spoken
 Expansion from 500BC
 ‘Italy’ dominated by 270BC
 Standard written language: classical texts
(Plato, Cicero)

7. Formal:
• Politics
• Arts
• Science
• Written docs ‘Popular’:
• Army
• Trade
• Latin lggs Originated
in popular
speech

8. V Century
Germanic invasions:
adopted words

9. VII Century
Arabic domination and
great influence over
~800 years:
• sophisticated culture
• great literary production

10. Portugal
• Independent by 1143
• Strong movement to expel
Arabs (gone by XIII century)
• Alfama (Al-Hama) in Lisbon
• Trade, culture and knowledge
• Dom Henrique and the development of navigation techniques:
Portuguese, Italian, Arab and Jewish scholars
• Leadership in ‘discovering’ the rest of the world

11. Navigation = Exchange

12. Brazil - 1500AD
African: Niger-Congo
More than 4 million,
from different
regions/cultures
Amerindian: Tupi
~1200 native indian
populations
~1000 languages

13. Atlas Miller de Lopo Homem, 1515-1519
• First contact with Tupi
• Barter
• 1530: colonisation
• Native indian lgg
• ‘Paulista General Lgg’
(up to XVIII century)
• ‘Amazonian General Lgg’
(from XVII; 8 million)

14. African Slaves
 Sugar: lucrative business bought to Brazil
(XVI century)
 Native indians: lost cause
 Banto speaking people
 Gold and diamond mining (XVII century)
 ‘Specialist’ slave: éve-fon speaking people

15. Oficial Language:
Portuguese
 Brazil as a source of wealth
 Radical measures to
‘control’ lucrative business
 1808: Royal family and
court move to Rio de
Janeiro
 Formal and written
Portuguese take off
 New slave trade:
Iorubá-speaking people

17. XIX and XX centuries: first steps
towards Brazilian Portuguese
 Slavery ends
 Immigration waves
 Industrialisation
 Migration: rural to urban
 Modernism: arts and literature especially
 Communications: radio, TV and internet
 Formal x informal Brazilian Portuguese
 Foreign words and expressions