| Phonological
Influences
Portuguese speakers may demonstrate the following tendencies when learning English pronunciation:
| Portuguese |
English |
| Short
sound of "a" (as in hat) does
not exist in Portuguese. |
Short
sound of "a" is usually substituted
by a short "e" (het) in auditory
discrimination, as well as, in reading and spelling. NOTE:
Portuguese speakers do not hear the distinction between
short “a” sound and short
“e” sound. Words with short
“a” are spelled with short
“e” (“hat”
might be misspelled or misheard as “het”).
|
| The
letter "h" is silent in Portuguese. |
The sound associated with "h" is often substituted in English
by the Portuguese sound "rr" -
"home" is read as "rome." |
| The
sound "ch" in Portuguese sounds
like "sh" in English. |
It
may be substituted by "sh" -
"chair" is usually read or spelled as "shair."
|
| Letter
"j" in Portuguese sounds like "measure"
in English. |
May be substituted by Portuguese "j"
in reading and spelling in English - measure
is read or spelled as "meajure."
|
| The
"th" sound (like "thin")
does not exist in Portuguese. |
It
may be substituted by "s"
or "f"
("sin" or "fin"
for "thin). |
Source: Adapted from Roseberry-McKibbin (2002 p. 85) & Shipley (1992 p. 371)
Grammatical Influences
Portuguese speakers learning English may change the following morphological markers:
| Portuguese |
English |
| Structure |
Possible Miscue
|
Structure |
| Negative |
|
|
a. João não saiu.
b. Não fales! (imperative)
|
John no go out.
No speak. |
John
didn't go out.
Don't speak! |
|
Adjective |
|
|
a. O carro vermelho.
b. É mais alto. |
a. The car red. (word order)
b. Is more tall. (comparison) |
a. The red car.
b. He is taller. |
| 3rd
person present tense |
|
|
|
Rosa gosta do Manuel. |
Rosa like Manuel.
(omission of "s")
|
Rosa likes Manuel. |
|
Omission |
|
|
a.
É Domingo.
b. É professora. |
a. Is Sunday.
b. Is teacher.
(omission of the pronoun) |
It is Sunday.
She is a teacher. |
|
Preposition after a verb |
|
|
|
There is no equivalent. |
To call on /to visit/to ask
To call up /to telephone |
| Possessive
|
|
|
|
A mãe do rapaz. |
The mother of the boy. |
The boy's mother. |
| To be . . .
|
|
|
a.
Tenho 8 anos.
b. Tenho fome.
c. Tenho sono.
d. Tenho medo. |
a. I have 8 years.
b. I have hunger.
c. I have sleep.
d. I have fear. |
a. I am 8 years
old.
b. I am hungry.
c. I am sleepy.
d. I am afraid. |
Semantic Influences
Portuguese speakers may demonstrate the following tendencies when learning English:
|
Cultural differences through
words |
| Kinds of Words |
|
English |
| Words
similar in form and in meaning |
hospital |
hospital |
|
hotel |
hotel |
|
taxi |
taxi |
| Words that are
similar in form but represent different meanings (false
friends) |
"assistir" means
"to attend" |
"assist"
means "to help"- A Portuguese-speaker will say,
"I assisted a class" to mean, "I attended
a class." |
| Words similar
in meaning but different in form |
casa |
house |
| Regionalisms:
words that are used mainly in a certain geographical
area or country |
Bolsa in Brazil is mala in Portugal.
Vermelho in the Azores is encarnado
in mainland Portugal. |
"Sneakers"
in northeastern U.S. are "tennis shoes" in mid-western
U.S. Pants/slacks in the U.S. are "trousers"
in England. |
|
Word Connotations |
Jesus! (asking for help in prayer) |
Jesus!
(cursing) |
|
Unusual meanings |
The street level of a building in Europe is usually the
ground floor. |
The
street level in the U.S. is usually labeled as the first
floor. |
|
Portinglês (Cabral,1989) This term refers
to English words that have been incorporated into the Portuguese
vocabulary of Portuguese speaking communities in the U.S.A.
|
bega
estoa |
bag
store |
Pragmatic Influences
| Portuguese |
American
Majority Culture |
| Teachers are expected
to show respect for parents or other adults by addressing them
as Senhor (Mr.) or Senhora (Ms./Mrs.) Silva. |
IMPLICATION: Addressing Portuguese-speaking parents by their first
name may be perceived as less than respectful. |
| Students in Portugal and other Portuguese speaking countries tend to address his or her teacher by the title - Sra. Professora |
IMPLICATION: Students may address the US educator as “Teacher”
instead of Ms or Mrs. Rich, for example, because of their Portuguese cultural experience in showing respect for a teacher they are expected to say, “senhora”
or “professora”.
|
| Portuguese-speaking
peoples often initiate a conversation on a personal note.
When they ask a personal question it does not mean they
want to pry, it is instead a sign of consideration and
caring. |
IMPLICATION:
This is important information to better establish a culturally
responsive relationship with Portuguese-speaking families. |
| Children show respect
by avoiding eye contact thus looking down or away when
talking to parents, teachers or other adults. |
IMPLICATION:
Teachers or administrators viewing this through
the eyes of the U.S. majority-cultural perspective may
assume that such behavior demonstrates something other
than respect. It is possible to cause unintentional shame
or a feeling of humiliation by pointing it out. For the
unknown observer this may also be misinterpreted as a
sign of a disability such as ADHD, pervasive developmental
disorder or autism. |
|
