PRACTICAL GUIDE OF THE NEW SPELLING

Learn what has changed in spelling Brazilian

Douglas Tufano
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© 2008 Douglas Tufano Professor and author of textbooks in English © 2008 Editor
a Ltda Improvements. Layout: WAP Studio ISBN: 978-85-06-05464-2 1. Edition, Augu
st 2008 Customer Service: PO Box 11 541 - CEP 05049-970 São Paulo - SP - Brazil
Printed in Brazil
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Orthographic Agreement
The purpose of this guide is to expose the reader, in an objective manner, chang
es in spelling of Portuguese by the Portuguese Spelling Agreement, signed in Lis
bon on December 16, 1990, Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe , Cape
Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and later for East Timor. In Brazil, the Agre
ement was approved by Legislative Decree No 54 of April 18, 1995. This Agreement
is merely spelling, so it is restricted to written language, not affecting any
aspect of spoken language. It does not eliminate all the spelling differences ob
served
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DOUGLAS TUFANO
countries that have Portuguese as official language, but it is a step toward the
desired unification spelling of these countries. As the official document of th
e agreement is unclear in several respects, we developed a roadmap to what has b
een possible to establish objectively about the new rules. Hopefully this guide
will serve as a basic guideline for those wishing to quickly resolve questions a
bout the changes made to the Brazilian spelling, without concern for theoretical
issues.
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PRACTICAL GUIDE OF THE NEW SPELLING
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Changes in the alphabet
The alphabet is replaced by 26 letters. Were reintroduced the letters k, w and y
. The full alphabet becomes:
AB C DE F GHI
K L M N O P QR S T U V WX Y Z
J
The letters k, wey, who actually had not disappeared from most of our language d
ictionaries are used in various situations. For example: a) the written symbols
of units of measurement: km (kilometer), kg (kilogram), W (watt);
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b) the writing of foreign words and names (and their derivatives) show, playboy,
playground, windsurfing, kung fu, yin, yang, William Kaiser, Kafka, Kafka.
Trema
Do not use more than the umlaut (¨), a sign placed over the letter u to indicate
that it should be pronounced in the groups gue, gui, which, qui. As might argue
bilingual stand stand How is raising bilingual
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eloquent delinquent fifty bloody equestrian frequent tongue sausage quinquennium
marmoset sequence sequestration calm
eloquent delinquent fifty bloody equestrian frequent tongue sausage quinquennium
marmoset sequence sequestration quiet
Warning: the umlaut remains only in foreign words and its derivatives. Examples:
Müller, müllerian.
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Changes in the rules of an accent. Do not use the accent of most diphthongs open
and hi Hey paroxitone of words (words that have stress accent on the penultimat
e syllable). How was alkali pack android supports (support verb) lean (verb supp
ort) asteroid buoy celluloid How is honeycomb skylight alkaloid pack android sup
ports support asteroid floats celluloid skylight hive
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Korea stoic epic moron Premiering debut (verb debut) jelly heroic odyssey idea b
oa jewelry paranoia paranoid audience trick
Korea stoic epic moron premiere first run jelly jewel odyssey heroic boa constri
ctor idea paranoia paranoid audience trick
Note: this rule applies only to paroxitone words. Thus, it remains sharp words
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oxítonas terminated behold, I, Ts, hi, ols. Examples: paper, hero, heroes, troph
y, trophies.
In the words paroxitone, no longer uses the accent on the u ie tonic when they c
ome after a diphthong. How was dumpster bocaiúva cauíla How ugliness is ugliness
Baiiica Bocaiuva cauila
2.
Warning: if the word is oxítona EOI or or are in final position (or followed by
s), the accent remains. Examples: Jabiru Stork, storks, Piauí.
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PRACTICAL GUIDE OF THE NEW SPELLING
January 1
3. Do not use the accent of most words ending in EEM and ôthe (s).€How was I ble
ss believe (verb believe) give (verb give) ache (verb donate) nausea read (verb
read) magician (verb hurt) forgive (forgive verb) people (verb people) see (see
verb) flights zoo How is bless creem doo deem sick leem Magoo forgive people see
flying zoo
4. Do not use the accent that most differentiated the peer stops to /, by (S) /
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February 1
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by (s), fur (s) / at (s), pole (s) / pole (s) and pear / pear. How was He stops
the car. He went to the North Pole. He likes to play polo. This cat has white ha
irs. I ate a pear. As he gets to the car. He went to the North Pole. He likes to
play polo. This cat has for whites. I ate a pear.
Warning: • Remain accent differential could / can. Might is the past tense form
of power (past perfect tense) in the third person singular. It may be the form p
resent indicative, in third person singular.
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March 1
Example: Yesterday, he could not leave earlier, but today he can. • Remains of p
utting the accent differential / per. Put the verb. For the preposition. Example
: I put the book on the shelf that was made for me. • Remain accents that distin
guish the singular plural of the verbs have and come, as well as their derivativ
es (hold, hold, hold, hold, agree, act, etc. arise.). Examples: He has two cars.
/ They have two cars. He comes from Sorocaba. / They come from Sorocaba. He mai
ntains the word. / They keep the word.
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April 1
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He should be the students. / They are suitable for students. He holds the power.
/ They have the power. He intervenes in all classes. / They intervene in all cl
asses. • It is optional to use the caret to distinguish the words form / mold. I
n some cases, the use of accent leaves the sentence clearer. Consider this examp
le: What is the shape of the cake pan?
5. Do not use the acute accent over the
u tonic forms (tu) argued, (he) argued, (they) argue, the present tense of verbs
and raising retort.
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PRACTICAL GUIDE OF THE NEW SPELLING
May 1
6. There is variation in the pronunciation of
verbs ending in guar, and quir quar such as watering, detect, defuse, emptying,
rinsing, oblique, crime, etc.. These verbs admit two pronunciations in some form
s of the present indicative, present subjunctive and imperative as well. See: a)
if they are pronounced with the i or tonics, these forms must be marked. Exampl
es: • verb rinse: rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse. • verb delinq
uency: delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinque
ncy, delinquency.
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b) if u are pronounced with tonic, these forms are no longer marked. Examples (a
stressed vowel is stressed, ie it must be pronounced more strongly than others)
: • verb rinse: rinse, wash, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse. • verb delinquen
cy: delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinquency, delinquency
, delinquency. Warning: in Brazil, the most common pronunciation is the first on
e with aei tonics.
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PRACTICAL GUIDE OF THE NEW SPELLING
July 1
Usage of hyphen
Some rules were changed use of the hyphen in the new Agreement. But as it is sti
ll controversial matter in many ways to facilitate the understanding of readers,
we present a summary of the rules that guide the use of the hyphen with the pre
fixes more common, as the new guidelines established by the Agreement. The follo
wing remarks relate to the use of the hyphen in words formed by prefixes or by e
lements that can act as prefixes such as: aero, agro as well, ante, anti, short,
architect, auto, circum, co, counter, electric between, eg, extra, geo, hydro,
hyper, infra, inter, intra, macro, micro, mini,
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multi, neo, pan, multi, proto, post, pre, pro, pseudo, retro, semi, over, under,
super above, tele, ultra, vice etc..
1. With prefixes, use the hyphen is always before the word initiated by h. Examp
les: unhygienic anti-historical co-heir macro-story hotel mini-proto-history sup
erhuman superman ultra-human Exception: subhuman (in this case, the word loses o
h man).
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2. Do not use the hyphen when the prefix ends in a vowel with different vowel th
at begins the second element.€Examples: aerospace agroindustrial yesterday antie
ducativo antiaircraft self-learning co-author coedição autoinstrução freeway dri
ving school extracurricular infrastructure multiannual
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semi-open semi-spherical semiilliterates semiopaco Exception: the prefix co clum
ping in general with the second element, even when it is initiated by the: co-ob
ligors, co-obligation, coordinate, cooperate, cooperation, co-opt coocupante etc
.
3. Do not use the hyphen when the prefix
ends in a vowel and the second element begins with consonant other than r or s.
Examples: draft antipedagogic
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self-protection auto parts coproduction geopolitical microcomputer pseudoprofess
or semicircle demigod "semi ultramodern Warning: prefix to vice, it uses always
the hyphen. Examples: viceroy, vice-admiral etc.
4. Do not use the hyphen when the prefix ends in a vowel and the second element
begins with r or s. In this case, is doubling those letters. Examples:
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antirrábico antirracismo antirreligioso antirrugas antisocial biorhythm contrarr
egra contrassenso cosine infrassom micro miniskirt centuries neorrealismo neossi
mbolista semirreta XDR. ultrasound
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5. When the prefix ends in a vowel, you use the hyphen if the second element beg
inning with the same vowel. Examples: Iberian anti-anti-imperialist anti-inflati
on anti-inflammatory self-observation Rear Admiral counterattack counterattack m
icrowave minibus semi-boarding semi-internal
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6. When the prefix ends in a consonant, we use the hyphen if the second element
beginning with the same consonant. Examples: hyper-refined interracial interregi
onal sub-librarian super-super-reactionary racist super-resistant super-romantic
Warning: • In the remaining cases do not use the hyphen. Examples: hypermarket,
municipal, superinteressante, overprotection.
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• With the prefix sub, you use the hyphen before the word also initiated by r: s
ub-region, sub-race, etc.. • With the prefixes circumnavigation and pan, you use
the hyphen before the word initiated by m, n and a vowel: circumnavigation, pan
-American etc..
7. When the prefix ends in a consonant, do not use the hyphen if the second elem
ent beginning with a vowel. Examples: hyperacidity hyperactive interscholastic i
nterstate
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interstellar interestudantil superfriend overheating supereconômico superexigent
e superinteressante overoptimism
With the prefixes ex, without, beyond, below, recently, post, pre, pro, you use
the hyphen always. Examples: beyond the sea beyond the grave short-sea ex-studen
t ex-director
8.
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former host former mayor former president postgraduate prehistory pre-university
pro-European newlywed newborn landless
9. You should use the hyphen with the suffixes a Tupi-Guarani: açu, guaçu and Mi
te. Examples: amore-fronted Macaw, Anajás-Mite, grass açu.
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You should use the hyphen to connect two or more words that occasionally combine
to form not exactly words, but vocabulary chains. Examples: Rio-Niteroi Bridge,
Rio and Sao Paulo.
1 0.
1 Do not use the hyphen in cer1.
tas words have lost their sense of composition. Examples: Sunflower honeysuckle
bigwig parachute parachutist kick
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1 2.
For graphic clarity, if at the end of the partition line of a word or combinatio
n of words coincide with the hyphen, it must be repeated on the next line. Examp
les: In the city, it is said that he was traveling.
The director received the alumni.
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Summary of Employment hyphen with prefixes
Basic rule is always use the hyphen in front of h: unsanitary, superman. Other c
ases
1. Prefix ending in a vowel:
• No hyphen before vowel different: driving school, antiaircraft. • No hyphen be
fore a consonant other than res: bill, semicircle. • No hyphen in front of r and
s. Fold these lyrics: antirracismo, antisocial, ultrasound. • With hyphen befor
e the same vowel: counterattack, microwave.
2. Prefix ended in a consonant:
• With hyphen before it as: inter-regional€sub-librarian. • No hyphen in front o
f as different: inter, supersonic. • No hyphen in front of vowel: interstate, su
perinteressante.
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Remarks
1. With the prefix sub, you use the hyphen also
before the word initiated by r sub-region, sub-race, etc.. Words beginning with
h lose this letter and join without a hyphen: subhuman subhuman.
2. Prefixes circumnavigation and pan, you use the hyphen before the word initiat
ed by m, n and a vowel: circumnavigation, pan-American etc.. 3. The prefix co cl
umping in general with the
second element, even when it is initiated by the: joint obligation, coordinate,
cooperate, cooperation, co-opt coocupante etc.
4. Vice with the prefix, you use the hyphen when:
viceroy, vice-admiral etc.
5. Do not use the hyphen in certain words
who lost their sense of composition, such as sunflower, honeysuckle, bigwig, kic
k, parachute, parachutist etc.
6. With the prefixes ex, without, beyond, behind,
recently, post, pre, pro, you use the hyphen when: former student, the landless,
overseas, short-sea, recently married, graduate, pre-university course, pro-Eur
opean.
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Publisher improvements, always trying to help Brazilian students in their learni
ng and personal growth, Launches New Practical Guide to Spelling, which shows, c
learly and objectively, changes in the spelling of Portuguese Spelling Agreement
of the Portuguese Language (1990 ). The implementation of the rules of the agre
ement, expected to take place in Brazil from January 2009, is an important step
toward creating a unified spelling for the Portuguese to be used by all countrie
s that have Portuguese as official language: Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Sao Tome
and Principe, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and East Timor. This guide i
s not intended to elucidate controversial and subjective points of agreement, bu
t we believe it will be a valuable tool for understanding the rapid changes in t
he Brazilian variant spelling. Any doubts that may exist after reading the Pract
ical Guide to the New Spelling certainly be solved with the publication of a Por
tuguese Language Vocabulary Spelling (VoIP), as provided in the Agreement.
Publisher Enhancements August 2008
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