Diferentes acentos

Accents are an issue in all languages, as they are adapted to the geographic region. For example, U.S. English has a different accent from that of Australia and the United Kingdom. Also, in Spanish, different countries in Latin America and Spain have different accents.

Therefore, instead of focusing on the accent, our concern should be good pronunciation, since that way in which we speak is something that comes from the goals we have regarding the language and ends up being something we cannot fully control, especially if it is not our mother tongue.

Difference between Brazilian and Portuguese in Brazil and Portugal

As for Portuguese, the main difference between the Brazilian and Portuguese accents lies in phonetics, i.e. the sounds used for communication.

1. Consonants

The Brazilian accent tends to mark consonants much more than the Portuguese accent does. This makes the Portuguese accent sound softer.

2. Syllables

The Brazilian accent is characterized by pronouncing each of the syllables, while the Portuguese accent would omit some sounds in the syllables.

3. Vowels

The Portuguese accent tends to cut many vowels in words, which makes it more difficult to understand for foreigners and even for Brazilians.

4. Pronouns

Each accent, Latin and European, employs its own informal pronouns that mean the same thing, but are conjugated differently. In the European accent, the pronoun goes after the verb, while in the Latin accent, the pronoun goes before the verb.

Which accent to learn?

The choice of which accent we want to learn depends on our goals, so if we want to learn Latin Portuguese, we can work in a Brazilian startup or company, learn the language informally, apply our language skills to enter a larger market or simply, if we love Brazilian culture.

Challenge

Compare the Latin and European accents of Portuguese using the following tool or the one you prefer.

Although the accent depends largely on the geographical region, good pronunciation is what really matters. If we want to choose or practice any particular accent, we can do so depending on our goals for the language.

Contribution created with contributions from: Ismael H (Platzi Contributor).