Gragoatá (Jun 2008)
The role of African languages in the formation of Brazilian Portuguese: (more) tips for a new research agenda
Abstract
This paper addresses the question of the role of African languages in the evolution of Portuguese in Brazil. It shows how recent work on Portuguese spoken as second language in Africa, and its comparison with the syntax of Bantu languages, gives empirical evidence that supports the thesis of the influence of these languages on Brazilian Portuguese, since this language displays the same characteristics. It argues that these analyses provide leads to study the historical development of Portuguese in Brazil and in Africa, using texts written in this language by Africans. Finally, it raises arguments against the hypothesis of linguistic drift to explain the evolution of Brazilian Portuguese.
