2007 October | Portuguese Language Blog

Posts from October 2007

Asa Branca

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Oct 11 2007

In 1947, amidst a devastating drought in the Brazilian Sertão, two men wrote a song that has become a national epic. Many people consider this work, Asa Branca to be much more than a song; it is a poem, an emotion, a history and a destiny.

The cyclical droughts of the Sertão have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes over the decades, most in search of work in the cities. The rapid urbanization of Brazil over the last century is in large part due to such circumstances. These droughts are so severe that farming becomes impossible; families starve and misery dominates the landscape – and the horizon.

It is in exactly this context that Asa Branca describes a young man, preparing to leave the Sertão and telling his beloved wife Rosinha that his heart will stay with her, and that he shall return with the rain, whenever that may be. It is a heart-wrenching image.

Asa Branca refers to a bird, specifically the picazuro pigeon, whose white wings spread during flight, contrasting against the empty, blue sky of the desert. The melody of the song imitates the flying of the bird on its uncertain journey, swooping and lifting, not knowing if it will ever return home. This is real Brazilian saudade at its most intense.

Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira penned this classic in the baião style of music, a popular subset of which today is forró. Gonzaga was the master of the accordion in this style of music and a true pioneer. His son, Dominguinhos carries on the tradition; he is a virtuoso accordion player with a huge trademark smile.

Without further ado, here are some engaging videos so you can get to know the song: 1) a video commemorating the history of the song, with original performances by Luiz Gonzaga and in-depth explanations of the song’s concept by co-author Humberto Teixeira. 2) David Byrne and Forro in the Dark made this music video of their interpretation of the song. David Byrne (Talking Heads) is a renowned Brasil-ophile, and loves Brazilian music!

Jardim Botânico

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Oct 11 2007

Located next to the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio, Jardim Botânico is a popular spot to hang out and relax

The park, which is located in the neighborhood of the same name in the Zona Sul, is home to over 6,500 different types of plants (some on the verge of extinction), both planted in the open air and in greenhouses or estufas.

The botanical garden has its roots in the Imperial age, and came into being following a series of events triggered by the Portuguese royal court’s stay in Rio, which began in 1808. Today, the garden is a liason between the bustling metropolitan life of modern Rio and the lush, protected forests that surround the city.

How Hard is Portuguese to Learn?

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Oct 10 2007

Question: “I want to learn to speak and read Portuguese; how hard will it be?”

[First off, let me acknowledge that any thoughts on this topic are quite subjective, and as a passionate fan of the Portuguese language, I am arguably biased. That being said, I have learned a lot of Portuguese and also several other languages, so I feel as though it is appropriate and perhaps useful to discuss the difficulty level of Brazilian Portuguese.]

Portuguese is a very ‘learn-able’ language. Grammatically speaking, Portuguese is demonstrably similar to Spanish, Italian and French, though there are some Brazilian colloquial tendencies that in my opinion make proficiency more attainable in Portuguese (see bullets below). Anyone who has learned even a little it of a Romance language will have a leg up on learning Portuguese.

In terms of vocabulary, the ’80/20′ rule is certainly applicable here, generally speaking; one can understand 80% of what is spoken by knowing about 20% of the language. This is the way languages work – the most common word is twice as common as the second-most common word, which is twice as common as the third-most common word and so on. [If you are interested in learning the most common and useful words and phrases in Portuguese go here.]

Racecars in Brazilian Cities

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Oct 10 2007

Just for fun, here are some videos showing Formula 1 racecars on the streets of major Brazilian cities.

Here’s one of a Ferrari F1 on Avenida Vieira Souto in Ipanema and another one of a Red Bull F1 demo in Sampa (São Paulo).

Formula 1 racing was popularized in Brazil in the 1980s by Ayrton Senna, who won three world championships before his untimely passing in 1994. To this day Senna is beloved in Brazil and remains a national sports hero.

The Lusiads

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Oct 8 2007

Luiz Vaz de Camões’ epic poem Os Lusíadas The Lusiads is widely considered the most important Portuguese-language text ever written. First published in 1572 and written in Homeric verse with an ottava rima cadence, The Lusiads served as a Portuguese national epic, akin to the Aeneid of the Romans.<br /
Camões (sometimes spelled in English as ‘Camoens’) authored the work in ten cantos, each with a varying number of stanzas. He liberally borrows from Homer at every level of the poem, including poetic style, imagery, thematic elements and most prominently the role of the Greco-Roman pantheon as primary characters. Even Homer’s sirens make an appearance!

The emergent and over-arching theme of The Lusiads is Portugal’s destiny to conquer primitive cultures and spread their modern, Western, and Christian values across the globe. Placed in the context of Portugal’s conflict with the Moors and Castilians, a contemporary Portuguese reader (such as the King) would likely have been inspired by Camões fervent belief in his country’s greatness.

In retrospect, we see that this destiny was truly not that of the Portuguese nation, and the subsequent centuries saw the steady fall from grace of the once-powerful Crown.

Without further ado, here are the texts (English and Portuguese) for your reading pleasure.