The orthographic agreement of 1990 will be the focus of this term paper. The first chapter will note important historical events regarding previous orthographic agreements between Portugal and Brazil, as well as the orthographic agreement of 1990. The most significant changes in the Portuguese orthography in relation to the orthographic agreement of 1990 will be presented in the second chapter. Particularly changes in the alphabet, spelling, the use of diacritical marks, as well as the use of majuscule and minuscule will be analyzed. Exceptions in the latest orthographic agreement, which allow bilateral spellings, will also be discussed in the second chapter. For clarification, there will be given several examples in the aforesaid chapter on how certain words were written before the orthographic agreement and after the orthographic agreement. The third chapter will deal with the multiple aspects, as well as the advantages and disadvantages that are connected to the orthographic agreement of 1990. Not only linguistic aspects, but also cultural and political aspects will be discussed in that chapter. Subsequently, there will be an analysis of how this reformation of the Portuguese language might evolve in the future and what this development means for native speakers of the Portuguese language, as well as Portuguese L2 speakers.
Portuguese is with approximately 240 million speakers the second most spoken Romance language in the world. It is an official language in Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde Islands, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Macau and São Tomé and Príncipe. Furthermore, it possesses a co-official status in Equatorial Guinea, as well as a significant cultural presence in Goa, India. Portuguese is the only Romance language that works with two different orthographies. There is the Brazilian orthography, which is used exclusively in Brazil, and the lusophone orthography, which is used in all other Portuguese-speaking areas. These circumstances have been a reason for political and cultural conflict in the past two centuries, especially between Brazil and Portugal, although there have been several approaches to unify both orthographies, a complete orthographic unification has never been achieved.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The History of Orthographic Standardizations in the Portuguese Language
2. The Orthographic Agreement of 1990: Significant Changes in the Portuguese Orthography
2.1 Changes in the Alphabet
2.2 Changes in the Spelling
2.3 Changes in the Use of Diacritical Marks
2.4 Changes for the Use of Majuscule and Minuscule
3. A Controversial Reformation: Debating the Orthographic Agreement
Outlook
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines the Orthographic Agreement of 1990, aiming to analyze its linguistic, cultural, and political impact on the Portuguese-speaking world. It investigates the historical context of previous standardization attempts, details the specific orthographic changes introduced by the 1990 agreement, and evaluates the ongoing debates, controversies, and challenges regarding its implementation across different Lusophone nations.
- Historical evolution of Portuguese orthographic standardization.
- Technical analysis of changes in alphabet, spelling, diacritics, and capitalization.
- Sociopolitical implications and tensions between Brazil and Portugal.
- Economic and identity-related motivations behind the reform.
- Challenges of implementation and the role of language planning.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 Changes in the Spelling
Some have ventured to actually quantify the extent of innovation that the orthographic agreement wants to bring to the two official standards it aims at superseding. Norma Couri, a Brazilian writer, says it affects "fewer than three thousand, or 1.98% of the 110 thousand most usual words of the Portuguese language”. According to her sources, fewer than 600 words would have two spellings according to the unified orthography (Couri 1992, p. 45). Rattner, on the other hand, reports that the Orthographic Accord would affect 1.6% of the words spelled in the Portuguese norm, 0.45 of the words in the Brazilian norm (Rattner 1992, p. 1). Finally, Augusto cites Houaiss as saying that Brazilians would have to spell 3% of their words differently according to the orthographic agreement of 1990, the Portuguese, 4% (Augusto 1992, p. 1). As can be seen, the numbers vary and the criteria are never explicit, reflecting the emotional tone of the debate.
One of the most significant changes in the spelling reform is the elimination of silent letters (see Example 8 and 9). This new regulation will especially affect the Portuguese orthography used in Portugal. Another important change is the use of hyphens. In general it can be stated that they will continue to be used. However, they will solely be maintained for compounds (see Example 10). Words that underwent a semantic change and have subsequently lost their compound characteristic must not include anymore the hyphen (see Example 11). Particularly this aspect of the spelling reform has led to many debates, because there is some dissent on this issue. To be precise, there are words that cannot be clearly classified or declassified as compounds. Thus, this issue seems to remain a matter of interpretation (Eggert 2010, pp. 33-35).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides an overview of the Portuguese language's global status and introduces the Orthographic Agreement of 1990 as the primary subject of investigation.
1. The History of Orthographic Standardizations in the Portuguese Language: Examines historical attempts at standardization in the 19th and 20th centuries and the resulting diplomatic tensions.
2. The Orthographic Agreement of 1990: Significant Changes in the Portuguese Orthography: Detailed technical analysis of the reform's impact on alphabet, spelling, diacritics, and capitalization.
2.1 Changes in the Alphabet: Discusses the integration of k, w, and y into the official alphabet and its practical applications.
2.2 Changes in the Spelling: Analyzes the elimination of silent letters and the complex new regulations surrounding hyphenation.
2.3 Changes in the Use of Diacritical Marks: Focuses on the banning of the diaeresis and the changing rules for accentuating paroxytone words.
2.4 Changes for the Use of Majuscule and Minuscule: Details the updated rules for the use of capital and small initial letters in various categories.
3. A Controversial Reformation: Debating the Orthographic Agreement: Explores the societal, economic, and political controversies surrounding the agreement and the conflicting interests involved.
Outlook: Evaluates the future prospects of the reform and its potential to strengthen Portuguese as a global language despite implementation challenges.
Keywords
Portuguese language, Orthographic Agreement 1990, spelling reform, linguistic standardization, Brazil, Portugal, Lusophone, diacritical marks, hyphenation, orthography, language planning, sociolinguistics, alphabet, capitalization, linguistic identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
This work examines the Orthographic Agreement of 1990, detailing its historical context, technical spelling changes, and the intense social and political debates it triggered within the Portuguese-speaking world.
What are the central thematic areas?
The central themes include the history of spelling reforms, the technical specifications of the 1990 agreement, the challenges of linguistic unification, and the socio-political power dynamics between Brazil and Portugal.
What is the core research question or objective?
The objective is to assess how the Orthographic Agreement of 1990 impacts the orthography of the Portuguese language and to analyze the cultural and political implications of this attempt at standardization.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes a qualitative research approach, conducting a historical and analytical review of literature, official reports, and linguistic debates to evaluate the reform's implementation and reception.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers historical background, specific changes to orthographic rules (alphabet, spelling, diacritics, capitalization), and a deep exploration of the arguments for and against the reform from various stakeholders.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Orthographic Agreement 1990, Portuguese language, linguistic standardization, Brazil, Portugal, and sociolinguistics.
How does the agreement specifically affect the use of silent letters?
The reform introduces the suppression of post-vocalic silent consonant letters, a change that significantly impacts the European Portuguese norm, while being viewed by Brazilians as a simplification.
Why is the banning of the diaeresis considered controversial?
The banning of the diaeresis is deemed controversial because it removes the only orthographic indicator for pronouncing adjacent vowels separately, and there is no substitute rule in the new agreement to fulfill this function.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Yasmin Barrachini-Haß (Autor:in), 2013, The Orthographic Reformation of the Portuguese Language. The Orthographic Agreement of 1990 and Its Linguistic, Cultural and Political Consequences, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/320536
