Variety, dialect and standard language
Before diving into the different European Portuguese dialects, it´s important to distinguish concepts like variety, dialect and standard language.
Variety is a term used to cover any form in which a language can differentiate according to sociocultural and geographical factors. Within the geographical varieties, we find the national varieties like the European Portuguese or the Brazilian Portuguese. Inside these, we can identify the dialectical varieties or dialects.
Traditionally, a dialect is a geographical variety of a language. The dialects of a particular language are closely related, and despite their differences, are most often mutually intelligible. The differences can be found in pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar.
The standard language is a language variety that a community elects as a model of communication as a language of reference. In European Portuguese the dialect between Lisbon and Coimbra is considered as the standard language.
Portuguese dialects can be divided in four main groups: European, American, African and Asian.
The differences between the various spoken Portuguese dialects are mostly in phonology, in the frequency of usage of certain grammatical forms, and especially in the distance between the formal and informal levels of speech. Nonetheless, dialectal deviations from the official grammar are relatively few.
European Portuguese dialects
The European Portuguese dialects can be divided into two major groups: mainland (dialetos continentais) and insular (dialetos insulares). Within the mainland dialects, we divide into the northern dialects (dialetos setentrionais) and the central and southern dialects (dialetos centro-meridionais). The insular dialects are divided into the dialects spoken in Madeira and Azores archipelagos – dialectos madeirenses e açorianos.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Northern dialects
This group encompasses the following regions: Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Douro Litoral, the northern part of Beira Litoral, Beira Alta and parte of Beira Baixa.
Generally, the northern dialects present as distinctive features:
- disappearance of the difference between /b/ and /v/
bola /bɔlɐ/ vs. vaca > /bakɐ/
- contrast the sibilants /s/ and /z/ with apicoalveolar sibilants /s̺/ and /z̺/
paço > /pasu/ vs. passo /pas̺u/ ; cruzeiro > /kɾuzejɾu/ vs. /casa > /caz̺ɐ/
- maintenance of the difference entre /t͡ʃ/ e /ʃ/
chave > /t͡ʃavɨ/ vs. caixa /kajʃɐ/
- maintenance of the diphthong [ow]
estou > /ʃtow/
- maintenance of the diphthong [ej]
azeite > /ɐzejtɨ/
- use of the semivowel [j] between two central vowels
a água /ɐ jaɣwɐ/
One can still highlight two sub-groups: the dialects of Trás-os-Montes and High Minho (dialetos transmontanos e alto-minhotos) and the dialects of Lower Minho, Douro and Beiras (dialectos baixo-minhotos, durienses e beirões).
The main difference between these sub-groups is that former kept the system with 4 sibilants consonants (/s/, /z/, /s̺/, /z̺/) and the latter the 2 consonants (/s̺/, /z̺/) prevailed.
Dialects of Trás-os-Montes and High Minho
cinco /sĩku/, sim /s̺ĩ/, dezembro /dɨzẽbɾu/, casa /kaz̺ɐ/
Dialects of Lower Minho, Douro and Beiras
cinco /s̺ĩku/, sim /s̺ĩ/, dezembro /dɨz̺ẽbɾu/, casa /kaz̺ɐ/
Variety of Lower Minho and Coastal Douro
Inside the dialects of Lower Minho, Douro and Beiras, there is a variety characteric of the Lower Minho and Coastal Douro (Região do Baixo Minho e Douro Litoral), where Porto appears as the most important urban center. The main distinctive feature is the formation of rising diphthongs /je/ e /wo/ or /wɐ/.
limpeza /lĩpjezɐ/, folha /fwoʎɐ/ or /fwɐʎɐ/
Centre and southern dialects
This group covers the regions of Beira Litoral, the most part of Beira Baixa, Estremadura, Ribatejo, Alentejo and Algarve.
The centre and southern dialects present as distinctive features:
- difference between /b/ and /v/
bola > /bɔlɐ/ vs. vaca > /vakɐ/
- pronunciation of two dental sibilants /s/ and /z/
paço > /pasu/ vs. passo /pasu/
- inexistence of the phoneme /t͡ʃ/
chave > /ʃavɨ/ vs. caixa /kajʃɐ/
- simplification of the diphthong /ow/ into /o/
estou > /ʃto/
- simplification of the diphthong /ej/
azeitona > /ɐzetonɐ/
- pronunciation with hiatus between central vowels
a água > /ɐ agwɐ/
The dialects of the Central and Southern regions coincide with the standard variety in all the traits mentioned above except the penultimate one, where the standard pronunciation maintain the diphthong /ej/. In the pronunciation found in Lisbon, this diphthong takes the sound /ɐj/.
Although, there is a bigger homogeneity among the centre and southern dialects, it is possible to distinguish two sub-groups: the dialects of Coastal Central region (dialetos do Centro Litoral) and the dialects of Central Interior and South regions (dialetos do Centro Interior e Sul).
The difference between these two sub-groups is that the former group preserves the dipthong /ej/, where the latter changed it to a single vowel sound /e/.
Dialects of Coastal Central Region
ceifa > /sejfɐ/
Dialects of Central Interior and South Regions
ceifa > /sefɐ/
Variety of Lower Beira and Higher Alentejo and Variety of the Western Algarve
Within the region of the dialects of the Central Interior and South, two varieties stand out – the variety of Lower Beira and Higher Alentejo (variedade da Beira Baixa e Alto Alentejo) and the variety of the Western Algarve (variedade do Barlavento do Algarve).
Variety of Lower Beira and Higher Alentejo
The variety of Lower Beira and Higher Alentejo displays significant differences compared to the standard Portuguese with the existence of different vowels sounds.
Here are some of the most characteristic traits:
- palatalization of /u/ into /ý/ and /
u/
tudo > /týd/, lua > /lúɐ/
- palatalization of /a/ into /ɛ/
ficava > /fikɛvɐ/
- palatalization of monothong of the old diphthong /ow/ into /ø/
roupa > /ʀøpɐ/
- rounding and lowering of the vowel /e/ into /œ/
cozer > /kuzœɾ/
- suppression of the sound /u/ written as ‘o’ or the change into /
i/
copo /kɔp/, tronco /tɾõkɨ/
Variety of the Western Algarve
The variety of of the Western Algarve has a vowel system quite difference from the standard Portuguese presenting eight vowels sounds – /i/, /e/, /ɛ/, /æ/, /ɒ/, /ɔ̝/, /o/, /y/. Here are its characteristics traits:
- /i/ pronounced as /ɪ/ or almost as /e/
galinha > /ɡɐlɪɲɐ/ or /ɡɐleɲɐ/
- /e/ evolved to /ɛ/
dizer > /dizɛɾ/
- /ɛ/ evolved to /æ/
pedra > /pædɾɐ/
- /a/ evolved to /ɒ/
cabra > /kɒbrɐ/
- /ɔ/ raised to /ɔ̝/
obra > /ɔ̝bɾɐ/
- palatalization of /u/ into /ý/
tudo > /týd/
- written -á at the end of word becomes the dipthong /ɒw/
pá > /pɒw/
- the final accentuated diphthong /ɛw/ in standard Portuguese becomes /æ/
chapéu > /ʃɐpæ/
- /u/ and /i/ at final position written as ‘o’ and ‘e’ are not pronounced
cedo > /sɛd/, leite /let/
