Contextualization

The Portuguese language, like all languages, is dynamic and constantly absorbs words and expressions from other languages. This occurs mainly due to the cultural, technological, and scientific influence of other countries, a phenomenon we call loanwords. With globalization and the spread of the internet, this absorption of foreign words has accelerated, making the challenge of correctly writing these words even more relevant.

In Brazil, these words are adapted to our spelling through a process known as Portuguese adaptation. This adaptation occurs in two ways: phonetic, which seeks to adapt the pronunciation of the word, and graphic, which aims to adapt the spelling of the word according to the Portuguese spelling rules. Therefore, it is common to see words like 'site' written as 'sítio' and 'software' as 'suíte'.

Understanding these concepts and knowing how to apply them correctly in our daily lives is of great importance, not only for the production of academic texts but also for effective communication in various social contexts. The correct spelling of loanwords is an essential skill for those who wish to communicate precisely and efficiently.

Atividade Prática

'Spelling of Loanwords: Building a Playful Bilingual Dictionary'

Project Objective: This project aims to allow students to explore, understand, and apply the concepts of 'loanword' and 'Portuguese adaptation' in practice, through the construction of a playful bilingual dictionary.

Detailed Project Description

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 people and assigned to a pair of languages: English-Portuguese, French-Portuguese, or Spanish-Portuguese, depending on the linguistic diversity of the class. Each group will be responsible for identifying, understanding, and documenting the process of Portuguese adaptation of 20 words in the chosen language pairs.

Required Materials

• Internet access for research
• Computer or notebook for documentation
• Bilingual dictionaries and/or online translation tools
• Grammar books and/or other research sources on Portuguese adaptation.

Detailed Step-by-Step Guide for the Activity

1. Research: Students must research and select 20 foreign words that have graphic adaptations in Portuguese. It is recommended that the chosen words are related to different themes, such as technology, gastronomy, literature, etc., to promote a more comprehensive and playful approach.

2. Documentation: For each word, students must research the meaning, pronunciation in the original language and in Portuguese, the original spelling, and the adapted spelling.

3. Discussion: Students should discuss the reasons for the adaptations, based on the grammatical rules of Portuguese, as well as the influence of culture on the adoption of loanwords.

4. Dictionary Creation: With the collected information, students must create a 'Playful Bilingual Dictionary', where each word will be accompanied by an illustration representing its meaning. The illustrations can be hand-drawn or created using digital tools, according to the group's preference and skills.

5. Presentation: Each group must present their dictionary to the class, sharing the discoveries and learnings during the construction process.

Project Deliverables

• Playful Bilingual Dictionary: Students must deliver a physical or digital document containing the created, illustrated, and alphabetically organized dictionary.

• Project Report: Students should write a document reporting in the format of a report containing:

  • Introduction: Contextualization of the theme, its relevance and real-world application, as well as the objective of this project.
  • Development: Here, students must explain the theory behind loanwords and Portuguese adaptation, describe the activity in detail, indicate the methodology used, and finally present and discuss the results obtained.
  • Conclusions: Recap of the main points, explanation of the learnings obtained, and conclusions drawn about the project.
  • Bibliography: Indication of the sources used for the project work, such as books, web pages, videos, etc.

This project is the moment for students to use different languages, taking into account their functions, for the understanding and production of texts and speeches in various fields of social action. In addition to learning to write words of foreign origin properly according to the standard of the cultured norm, they will develop skills such as time management, communication, problem-solving, creative thinking, and proactivity.