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Home› Languages› Portuguese› Written Language› Spelling

Portuguese Spelling

Spelling in Portuguese is much easier to encode than English due to the high degree of consistency between letters and sounds in Portuguese. Literate Portuguese-speaking students when writing in English (beginning stages) will use what they already know from the Portuguese spelling system.

Implications for Spelling In English

Learning spellingSpelling miscues are not unique to those who are learning English as a new language. Native English speakers with learning differences may demonstrate difficulty with spelling. Literate native Portuguese speakers may show similar traits when they start to spell English words, but for a very different reason. Depending on the level of English proficiency, they are applying their knowledge of Portuguese orthography to English spelling. (“rouse” for “house”, “feche” for “fish”). They access English spelling at the transitional stage of English spelling.

Over time, as children progress in their new language acquisition/learning, the influence of Portuguese on English disappears (Cummins, 2003). It is important for educators to realize that this is normal, developmental and predictable, and it should not be confused with any type of 'learning disability'. Thus, it is essential to analyze the more common American-English spelling miscues and determine which ones are most likely to come from a Portuguese language influence (English Orthography, n.d.).

Spelling Development - Monolingual English

The following table reflects the stage of spelling indicators for English as a first language.

Spelling Stage Spelling Indicators
Precommunicative Spelling Stage
  • Writing is not readable by others.
  • There may be random strings of symbols (real or invented).
  • Letters may be in either upper or lower case and may be used indiscriminately.
  • There is no indication of letter-sound correspondence.
Semiphonetic Spelling Stage
  • Spelling is characterized by first attempts at letter-sound correspondence. It may be abbreviated, with only one or two letters (usually consonants for English speakers) to represent a word, e.g. WK (walk), PO (piano), and S (saw).
  • Native English-speaking children have great difficulty with vowels, e.g. FESH (fish). (Portuguese or Spanish-speaking children do not when writing in their first language.)
  • The writing may display spaces between words.
Phonetic Spelling Stage
  • All essential sounds may be represented by letters, [e.g. STIK (stick), TABL (table) and FLOR (floor).]
  • Spelling is not standard, but writing is meaningful and can be read and understood by others.
  • There may be substitutions of incorrect letters with similar (or even the same) pronunciation. Actually, these substitutions often indicate that the speller is using a great deal of common sense. e.g. JRINK (drink) and CHRAN (train).
  • Nasal consonants may be omitted in English, e.g. STAP (stamp)
  • Past tense may be represented in different ways, e.g. PILD (peeled), LOOKT (looked) and TRADID (traded).
  • Word segmentation is clearly evident.
Transitional Spelling Stage*
  • Writers may operate within the transitional stage of spelling for long period of time and during this stage, visual and morphemic strategies become more important.
  • Vowels appear in every syllable. e.g. ELAFUNT
  • Nasals appear before consonants. e.g. COMBO
  • Common English letter sequences are used. e.g. YOUNITED.
  • Vowel digraphs often appear. e.g. MAIK and MAYK
  • Inflectional endings (s, ‘s, ing, ed, est) are spelled conventionally.
  • Correct letters may be used but in the incorrect sequence. e.g. BECUASE (because) and PLIAN (plain)
  • Learned (sight) words appear more often.
Standard or Conventional Spelling Stage
  • At this stage, knowledge of American [English] spelling is firm. Most words are spelled appropriately.
  • The speller can often recognize a word that doesn’t look right.
  • A large reservoir of words is spelled automatically.

© Professor Maria de Lourdes Serpa
Adapted from:
Gentry,R. (1982). An Analysis of Developmental Spelling in GNYS AT WRK.The reading teacher. (36,192-200)

Stages of Spelling Development-Dual Language

English spelling for students literate in the Portuguese and Spanish

A Portuguese or Spanish speaking student that has reached the conventional spelling stage in Portuguese or Spanish already knows the process of spelling and will enter English spelling at the transitional stage.
L1 (Port/Spanish)  
L2 (English)      
  PRE COMMUNICATIVE STAGE SEMIPHONETIC STAGE PHONETIC STAGE TRANSITIONAL STAGE CONVENTIONAL
STAGE

Stages of Spelling in English language development for students literate in Portuguese and Spanish languages

Spelling Stage Dual Language Spelling Indicators
Precommunicative Spelling Stage
  • Writing is not readable by others.
  • There may be random strings of symbols (real or invented).
  • Letters may be in either case and used indiscriminately.
  • There is no indication of letter-sound correspondence.
Semiphonetic Spelling Stage
  • Spelling is characterized by first attempts at letter-sound correspondence. It may be abbreviated, with only one or two letters (usually consonants) to represent a word, e.g. WK (walk), PO (piano), and S (saw).
  • The writing may display spaces between words.
Phonetic Spelling Stage

At this stage, spelling is not standard, but writing is meaningful and can be read by others.

  • All essential sounds may be represented by letters
  • There may be substitutions of incorrect letters with similar (or even the same) pronunciation. Actually, these substitutions often indicate that the speller is using a great deal of common sense
  • Nasal consonants may be omitted
  • Word segmentation and are clearly evident.
Transitional Spelling Stage
  • Portuguese or Spanish literate students (Reading for Learning the New Stage) at the beginning level of English acquisition will most likely enter English spelling at this stage. How well they communicate in American English is dependent on their level of English proficiency.
  • Spelling reflects the influence of Portuguese or Spanish on English. Portuguese or Spanish vowel and consonant sounds may appear written in words. Portuguese speakers usually substitute short [e] for short [a] e.g. MEN for man and Spanish speakers short [e]I for short [i]
  • Common English letter sequences may be used. e.g. UNITED.
  • Vowel digraphs often appear with Portuguese or Spanish spellings. e.g. meike or meique for [make]
  • Inflectional endings (s, ‘s, ing, ed, est) may not be spelled conventionally.
Standard or Conventional Spelling Stage
  • Knowledge of English orthography by literate students of Portuguese or Spanish matches the American orthographic system at the given grade level. Spelling is firm. Words are spelled correctly.
  • The speller can often recognize a word that doesn’t look right.

© Professor Maria de Lourdes Serpa (1984, 2002, 2005)
Adapted from: Gentry,R. (1982). An Analysis of Developmental Spelling in GNYS AT WRK.The reading teacher. (36,192-200)

 
©2005 Maria de Lourdes Serpa.
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