Portuguese phonology
The Portuguese language is particularly interesting to linguists because of the complexity of its phonetic structure. The language contains 11 distinct vowel sounds and 25 separate consonantal sounds. A great difference in pronunciation exists between closed and open a, e, o and some consonants, leading to confusion among non-speakers, making some of them think that its various dialects are widely different and possibly unintelligible from each other, in reality that pre-thinking is completely incorrect.
Vowels
The sound system of Portuguese is somewhat more complicated compared to Spanish. There are a greater number of vowels, and there is not a simple rule relating written vowels to their sounds, as there is in Spanish. Similarly to French, Portuguese has a set of nasal vowels and a set of nasal diphthongs.
| Oral monophthongs
|
| vi | ‘‘vi | 'saw' (1 sg)
|
| e | ve | ‘‘vê | 'see' (3 sg)
|
| ɛ | sɛ | ‘‘sé | 'cathedral'
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| ɔ | sɔ | ‘‘só | 'alone'
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| o | so | ‘‘sou | 'I am'
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| u | ˈmudu | ‘‘mudo | 'mute' (m)
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| ɐ | pɐˈɡaɾ | ‘‘pagar | 'to pay'
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| ɯ | pɯˈgar | ‘‘pegar | 'to grip'
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| Nasal monophthongs
|
| ı̃ | vı̃ | ‘‘vim | 'came' (1 sg)
|
| ẽ | ˈẽtɾu | ‘‘entro | 'enter'
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| ɐ̃ | ˈɐ̃tɾu | ‘‘antro | 'den'
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| õ | sõ | ‘‘som | 'sound'
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| ũ | ˈmũdu | ‘‘mundo | 'world'
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| Oral diphthongs
|
| ɛi | ɐˈnɛiʃ | ‘‘anéis | 'rings' (n)
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| ai | sai | ‘‘sai | 'go out' (3 sg)
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| ɐi | sɐi | ‘‘sei | 'know' (1 sg)
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| ɔi | mɔi | ‘‘mói | 'grind' (3 sg)
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| oi | ˈmoitɐ | ‘‘moita | 'thicket'
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| ui | ɐˈnuiʃ | ‘‘anuis | 'agree' (2 sg)
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| iu | viu | ‘‘viu | 'saw' (3 sg)
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| eu | meu | ‘‘meu | 'mine' (poss m)
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| ɛu | vɛu | ‘‘véu | 'veil'
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| au | mau | ‘‘mau | 'bad' (m sg)
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| Nasal diphthongs
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| ɐ̃i | sɐ̃i | ‘‘cem | 'hundred'
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| õi | ɐˈnõiʃ | ‘‘anões | 'dwarves' (m)
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| ũi | ˈmũitɐ | ‘‘muita | 'much, many' (f)
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| ɐ̃u | mɐ̃u | ‘‘mão | 'hand' (n)
|
Unstressed o is normally /u/, and unstressed a is normally an open central vowel.
Consonants
| p | ˈpatu | ‘‘pato | 'duck' (m)
|
| b | ˈbatu | ‘‘bato | 'I strike'
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| m | ˈmatu | ‘‘mato | 'I kill'
|
| f | ˈfatu | ‘‘fato | 'costume'
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| v | ˈviɲɐ | ‘‘vinha | 'vine'
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| t | ˈtatu | ‘‘tacto | 'tact'
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| d | ˈdatu | ‘‘dato | 'I date'
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| n | ˈnatu | ‘‘nato | 'innate' (m)
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| s | ˈkasu | ‘‘caço | 'I hunt'
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| z | ˈkazu | ‘‘caso | 'I marry'
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| k | ˈkatu | ‘‘cacto | 'cactus'
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| ɡ | ˈɡatu | ‘‘gato | 'cat'
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| ɲ | ˈpiɲɐ | ‘‘pinha | 'pine cone'
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| ʃ | ˈʃatu | ‘‘chato | 'flat'
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| ʒ | ˈʒatu | ‘‘jacto | 'jet'
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| ɾ | ˈpiɾɐ | ‘‘pira | 'pyre'
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| ʁ | ˈʁatu | ‘‘rato | 'mouse' (m)
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| l | ˈliɲɐ | ‘‘linha | 'line'
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| ʎ | ˈpiʎɐ | ‘‘pilha | 'battery'
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There are palatal consonants lh and nh (the equivalent of Spanish ll, ñ). The consonants ch, j are postalveolar fricatives, IPA /ʃ/, /ʒ/, or the same sound as in French.
The letter s when final or followed by another voiceless consonant is /ʃ/, or before a voiced consonant /ʒ/. So the escudo (the previous currency - now Portugal uses the Euro) is /əʃkuðu/, plural escudos /əʃkuðuʃ/. This peculiarity is only valid however in Portugal (most dialects) and in the metropolitan area of the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In other regions of Brazil and other former Portuguese colonies, the s is merely voiced (to /z/) when before a voiced consonant. The Beirão dialect of central Portugal, pronounces the final 's' as 'j'.
The letter l when final in some regions of Brasil is pronounced as /u/ and in the Caipira dialect as /r/. In Rio de Janeiro and other areas of southestern Brazil, the syllables te and ti are pronounced as /tʃi/ and de and di as /dʒi/. A person from Rio de Janeiro, when speaking quickly, will turn the d in these two cases to /ð/. In most of Brazil with the exception of the deep south the initial and double r is pronounced as a velar fricative.
In northern Portugal, in the Alto-Minhoto and Transmontano dialects, ch is spoken as /tʃ/ . Also, in Northern Portugal's dialects, v is pronounced as /b/.
The Portuguese language is particularly interesting to linguists because of the complexity of its phonetic structure. The language contains 9 oral vowels, 5 nasal vowels and 25 consonantal sounds. Also, Portuguese is a "free accentuation language", as distinct pronunciation exists even in the same dialect. Even with its diversity, Portuguese is one of the most unified international languages and, in each country, people tend to classify the dialects, at maximum, as accents, because they are highly intelligible.
| letter
| Portuguese
| Meaning
| IPA
| letter
| Portuguese
| Meaning
| IPA
|
| a
| talha
| cut
| a
| lh
| alho
| garlic
| ʎ
|
| a
| amo
| master
| ɐ¹ a²
| m-
| mapa
| map
| m
|
| á
| alto, árvore
| tall, tree
| ɑ
| n-
| número
| number
| n
|
| am, an
| campo, canto
| field, corner
| ã
| nh
| ninho
| nest
| ɲ
|
| b
| bola
| ball
| b
| o
| santo, logo
| saint, soon
| u
|
| ca, co, cu
| casa
| house
| k
| õ, om, on
| limões, montanha
| lemons, mountain
| õ
|
| ça, ce, ci, ço, çu
| cedo, maçã
| early, apple
| s
| ó
| morte, moda, nó
| death, fashion, knot
| ɔ
|
| ch
| cheque
| check
| ʃ
| ô
| ovo, olho, avô
| egg, eye, grandparent
| o
|
| d
| dedo
| finger
| d
| p
| parte
| part
| p
|
| e
| leite, vale
| milk, valley
| ɨ¹ i or e²
| qua, quo
| quanto, quotidiano
| how much, daily
| kw
|
| é
| resto, festa, café
| rest, party, coffee
| ɛ
| que qui
| aquele, aqui
| that one, here
| k
|
| ê
| medo, letra, você
| fear, letter, you
| e
| -r
| mar, Marte
| sea, Mars
| ɾ
|
| em, en
| lembrar, então
| remember, then
| e~
| r
| coro, caro
| choir, expensive
| ɾ
|
| f
| ferro
| iron
| f
| r, rr
| rosa, carro
| rose, car
| ʀ¹ or x²
|
| ga, go
| gato
| cat
| g
| s, ss
| sapo, assado
| frog, roasted
| s
|
| ge, gi
| gelo
| ice
| ʒ
| -s
| galinhas, arcos
| chickens, arcs
| ʃ or ʒ or z ³
|
| gua
| água
| water
| gw
| (vowel)s(vowel)
| raso
| evenness
| z
|
| gue, gui
| português, guia
| Portuguese, guide
| g
| t
| tosta
| toast
| t
|
| h
| harpa
| harp
| -
| u
| uvas
| grapes
| u
|
| i
| idiota
| idiot
| i
| diphthongs with o or u
| ao, mau
| to, bad
| w
|
| diphthongs with 'i'
| nacional, ideia
| national, idea
| j
| un, um
| um, untar
| one, to dip in grease
| u~
|
| im, in
| limbo, brincar
| limb, to play
| i~
| v
| vento, velocidade
| wind, velocity
| v
|
| j
| jogo
| game
| ʒ
| x
| caixa, Xadrez, texto
| box, chess, text
| ʃ
|
| l
| logo
| soon
| l
| x
| próximo
| next
| s
|
| -l
| Portugal, Brasil
| Portugal, Brazil
| ɫ¹ w²
| z, exa, exe, exi, exo, exu
| exame, natureza
| exam, nature
| z
|
| ¹ European/African Portuguese Standard
|
| ² Brazilian Portuguese Standard
|
| ³ The \z\ is used if followed by another word (if not a pause, only), in the cases when it precedes a vowel, and it will be [ʒ] if followed by sonorous consonants (such as "b", "m" or "n"). It will be [ʃ] in the rest of the cases. In most of Brazil and Angola the sound is allways \z\ and in Beira region (Portugal), the sound is always [ʒ].
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Last updated: 01-04-2007 01:18:57
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