葡萄牙语发音PRONUNCIATION

ACCENTS and VOWELS
 
Since the pronunciation of vowels depends on stress, as well as position, let us first consider the accents in Portuguese:
 
 
 
 
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ACCENTS:
 
Accents in Portuguese determine both stress and the length of a vowel:
 
 
 
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The acute accent forms short vowels -
 
 
á = as in cat
 
 
é = as in bet
 
 
ó = as in got
 
 
 
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The circumflex accent forms long vowels -
 
 
â = as in earn
 
 
ê = as in Scottish great
 
 
ô = as in Scottish low
 
 
 
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The grave accent only exists in à and às and is short -
 
 
à = as in cat
 
 
 
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The tilde can be considered not to be an accent at all, since it arises originally from a form of shorthand for an extra n which has been placed on top of the preceding vowel:
 
this can be seen when comparing Spanish and Portuguese -
 
 
ciudadano > cidadão;
 
 
In Portuguese therefore the tilde signals a nasal sound
 
 
 
 
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VOWELS:
 
 
Single vowels:-
 
 
 
 
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Note that u and i are always long and strong vowels in Portuguese -
 
 
so remember:- " you and I are like Andrex®" !!!!
 
 
i - always long as in English ee
 
 
u - always long as in English oo
 
 
 
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o / a / e - unless stressed these vowels are weak or even disappear
 
 
 
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O
 
- when unstressed it is pronounced as English oo; when speaking quickly the Portuguese will hardly pronounce it.
 
 
 
- otherwise long (as in low ) or short (as in cow) depending on position;
 
it is easier to learn the individual words than all the possible vowel and consonant combination rules!
 
 
 
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A
 
- when unstressed it is pronounced as English uh;
 
 
when speaking quickly the Portuguese will hardly pronounce it.
 
- otherwise long (as in ah ) or short (as in hat ) depending on position; it is easier to learn the individual words!
 
 
 
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E
 
- when unstressed it is pronounced as a clipped i, something like English bit;
 
when speaking quickly the Portuguese will rarely pronounce it.
 
 
It is the weakest vowel of all.
 
- otherwise long (as in hay ) or short (as in bet ) depending on position;
 
it is easier to learn the individual words!
 
 
 
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NOTE:
 
apart from -oo (e.g. o voo), you will never see a double vowel in Portuguese
 
- they always merge into a single vowel, sometimes with an accent
 
 
cf. to the = a + a --> à
 
 
[楼 主] | Posted:2005 06 7 5:07 PM|  
 
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 葡萄牙语PRONUNCIATION
 
 
 
CONSONANTS:-
 
 
 
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b - roughly equivalent to English
 
 
Spanish students NOTE: b is not identical to v
 
c - ca/co/cu = hard as in cat/cot/cut
 
ce/ci - = soft as in French, or English cent/cist
 
ç - as in French, or English ss
 
ch - as in French chercher or English sh
 
d - roughly equivalent to English
 
f - roughly equivalent to English
 
 
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g - ga/go/gu = hard as in gash/gosh/gush
 
ge/gi - = soft as in french je or English blancmange
 
gu - gua[guo/guu ] = gw
 
gue/gui - normally hard as in French and Spanish > gue = g;
 
 
but note exceptions like aguentar = [agwen-tar]
 
 
 
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h - not pronounced
 
j- soft as in French je or English 's' in leisure
 
k - only exists in Foreign words - qu replaces it
 
l - roughly equivalent to English
 
lh - equivalent to Spanish ll, or English million
 
 
 
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m - roughly equivalent to English before vowels;
 
- nasalizes preceding vowels similar to French
 
 
falam = fah-lowng
 
 
falem = fah-laing
 
 
sim = seeng
 
n - roughly equivalent to English before vowels;
 
- nasalizes preceding vowels similar to French.
 
 
Spanish students N.B: n is never found at end of words, as all final n's convert to m :
 
 
e.g. comen > comem
 
nh - equivalent to Spanish ñ or English onion
 
 
 
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p - roughly equivalent to English
 
qu - qua/quo as in English quack, quota = kw;
 
- que/qui normally hard as in French and Spanish
 
que = k; but note exceptions like tranquilo = trangkweeloo
 
 
 
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r - roughly equivalent to English, except at
 
beginning of word or after n, s or l = either French r, Spanish r or Scots r
 
rr - similar to either French r, Spanish r or Scots r
 
 
 
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s
 
- at beginning of word equivalent to English;
- between vowels pronounced as English z : casa
- at end of word not followed by vowel = English sh : casas
- before hard (unvoiced) consonant (p/t/c) = English sh : castelo, escudo, respeito
- before soft (voiced) consonant (b/d/g) = English 's' in pleasure : esboço, desde, esgotar
ss - roughly equivalent to English
 
 
 
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t - roughly equivalent to English
 
v - roughly equivalent to English -
 
 
Spanish students N.B: not = b
 
w - only exists in Foreign words
 
 
 
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x
 
- at beginning of word equivalent to English sh : xaile = shyl;
 
otherwise uncertain:
 
- can be English sh - êxtase = aysh-taz
- can be English x - sexo = sek-soo
- can be English ss - próximo = prossimoo
- can be English z - exame= ee-zam
 
 
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y - only exists in Foreign words
 
z - equivalent to English, except at end of word
 
 
with no following vowel = English sh : faz, giz, foz
 
 
 
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NOTE:
 
the only time you will see a double consonant in Portuguese is -rr- and -ss- :
 
-rr- is used to mark its special sound;
 
-ss- allows a soft 's' between vowels as in 'professor' where a single 's' would give a 'z' sound.
 
 
[It is possible to have a double -mm- when adverbs are formed by adding -mente
 
 
e.g. comum--> comummente
 
 
but this will drop in the new Spelling Accord. Note also -nn- in connosco]