Portuguese Orthography Reform: A Benefit for Students and Businesses Alike

Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Brazil constitute the Community of Portuguese Language Countries [Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP)] whose members have implemented or are undergoing an orthography reform called Acordo Ortográfico in an effort to unify Portuguese diction.

Orthography is the correct method of using a specific written system to write the language.

The aim of the Acordo Ortográfico-reform is to unify written Portuguese around the globe so that all lusophones (native Portuguese speakers) adhere to the same orthography. The reform will lead to a stronger identify and fortify the Portuguese language.

Ratification is under way by CPLP-members Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and East Timor, whereas in Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, as well as São Tomé and Príncipe the reform has already been implemented. Brazil, for instance, introduced the reform at the beginning of 2009 by Presidential decree, but there will be four years tolerance with both dictions until the end of 2012, when the old orthography will no longer be accepted.

Please find below the areas affected by the reform:

Changes in the alphabet

To regularize the language the letters “K“, “W” and “Y” are now included in the Portuguese alphabet, which increases from twenty-three to twenty-six letters. Despite that “k“, “w” and “y” were not present in Portuguese dictionaries, they had been used to some extent in daily life.

Changes in the rules of accentuation

In a number of cases words lose their accentuation . For example, jóia (gem) lost its acute accent ( ´ ) to become joia, and voos (flights) succeeds vôos which is now written without the circumflex accent (^).

Changes in the usage of hyphens:

The reformed rules for the use of hyphens (hífens) demand, for instance ultra-resistente (ultra-resistant) being written as one word with r-duplication and without hyphen: ultrarresistente.

Change in use of the dieresis

The dieresis (¨) will no longer be used in most cases.Thus, cinqüenta (fifty) has changed to cinquenta.

These changes are a significant step in the unification of Portuguese, and Brazil is serious about it, as far as I can tell from television coverage. It was only recently when the fifth edition of the Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa found its way into the book shops, and I expect much learning material will follow and be overhauled to reflect the modified orthography outlined above. Therefore, when buying Portuguese student material, you should pay attention toward whether the Acordo Ortográfico is factored in, and perhaps wait a bit if that’s not the case, if you are not in a rush.

Portuguese is spoken in a number of countries including, but not limited to, member nations of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, among which Portugal and Brazil have had two correct, but somewhat differentiating orthographies. The reform overcomes obstacles and limitations in the international use of this important and beautiful language such as in trade contracts, multi-national laws, movies, newspapers, television and the Internet, just to name a few. Last, but not least the Portuguese language reform benefit language students like you, as there is less need to buy duplicate dictionaries, e.g. Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese (Portugal), as well as the written language becoming easier and more universal.

Author's own opinion