Tipo: Innovation and change in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract

This paper provides an empirical account of the synchronic variation in the use of the noun TIPO (‘type’, ‘kind’)in the Brazilian Portuguese vernacular. Innovation in its use, first documented by Bittencourt (1999), suggests TIPO may be performing functions beyond those of a noun. To investigate innovation in its use, this study focuses on the speech of teenagers born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Although this group has been shown to be in the forefront of linguistic innovation (D’Arcy, 2005; Tagliamonte, 2016), research on the speech of adolescents remains scant in Brazilian Portuguese. This paper[1]aims to fill this gap by presenting the results of two analyses of empirical data collected between 2015 and 2018 (the author and collaborator).[2]Results indicate that TIPO is not only salient in participants’ speech but also that non-nominal forms of TIPO are more frequently used by speakers (97.98%) when compared to its nominal form (2.02%). Findings suggest that uses of non-nominal TIPO are systematic and linguistically defined: TIPO is most often found in pre-clausal position or preceding a noun phrase. Findings also show that TIPO is performing functions beyond those of a noun, such as a preposition and an adverb.

Keywords

• Innovation and change
• Brazilian Portuguese
• teenagers