OFL - Onomatopoeia as a Foreign Language

As an adult, I came to realize that not everyone grew up in an onomatopoeically and ideophonically inclined household. It was only after the 20th comment, or so, by a random stranger that I noticed not everyone's O.I. vocabulary is quite as, um, "developed."

Okay, okay... I use weird sound effects in place of regular words sometimes.

Onomatopoeias and ideophones are words that phonetically imitate the sound of something that we otherwise wouldn't have a word for. They may eventually reach the point that they're officially recognized words which is how oink, swoosh, bam, and meow came into being. These kinds of words are vital to the comic book industry.

The need for onomatopoeic and ideophonic words is universal, as most languages incorporate a handful into the language. There are those that argue this is how some languages developed at a base level.

One might think that this shared phenomenon could be used as a bridge to cross language barriers, but strangely enough, that is most often not the case. Whatever language we speak and whatever sounds we are accustomed to hearing, directly influences our perception of other sounds.

To see some interesting differences in how we hear animal sounds in different languages, check out this video. I found it intriguing that every language featured, with the exception of Japanese, does hear a version of "Meow."

Bow Wow Meow - Animal Sounds in Different Languages from properniceinnit on Vimeo.

The differing perceptions of everyday sounds is why I feel so strongly that the absolute first step to getting a grasp on any language is to learn the sounds of the language.

For example:

I used to be unable to correctly hear the name of one of the doormen at my apartment in Goiânia — a guy that I depended on for my safety & security. Not only did I need to get to know him, but I needed him to get to know me (which isn't always easy when there's a language barrier). ...but I couldn't even understand his name, much less say it.

So I tried.

...and tried.

I must have asked him to repeat his name about a dozen times, before I finally asked him how to spell it. And after this experience, I no longer hesitate to ask how to spell anything.

Why didn't I ask him in the first place?

Someone (giver of unending bad adaptation/assimilation advice) had told me that I "shouldn't ask people how to spell their names because they'd think it was weird."

I think that meeting someone regularly, and never being able to say their name is more weird, personally.

I also think that they only said that because they thought it was embarrassing, for some reason. Or maybe I seemed too nerdy with my pen & mini spiral that I could whip out at a moment's notice. Whatever the reasoning, it was bad advice, and as soon as I ignored it the doors to understanding opened up.

Prior to getting the correct spelling so that I could sound it out, it went something like:

Me: "I'm sorry, what is your name, again?"
Him: "Jblblbz%tuiblblblblϟgkblblblo@iwblblblber." (...or something?)
Me: "Oh... Okay. Thanks!" (not getting it, at all)

So when I finally asked him to spell it, it went like this:

Me: "I'm sorry, but could you spell your name for me? It's hard for me to understand because Portuguese is my second language."
Him: "Sure. It's J-U-R-A-N-D-I-R."
Me: "Oh, 'Zhuuur-rdahhhhn-zheer'"
Him: "Yes. That's it." (probably thinking, "Finally!")
Me: "Okay, great, Jurandir! Thank you!" (thinking, "Wow, that was easy ...and I'll never have to ask again!")

Although knowing the sounds of a language makes it easier to understand how another culture hears the world, homegrown sounds that you may have taken for granted to fall back on (if your language isn't up to par) may not help you out as much as you think they will.

For instance, there is very basic and simple onomatopoeic sound that is identical in both English & Portuguese, that is in no way related to the other.

The same clicking sound made with the tongue, used for getting a horse to "giddyap" in the United States, is used in Brazil as a big fat "negatory," or "não." They are not telling you to get along, little dogie, they are just saying no, without an actual word.

(To enlarge, right-click and open in a new window.)

Then there's this classic.

The first time you're in a place where you are supposed to be quiet, but are needing to get the attention of someone, you might think that the good ol' fashioned, "Psssssssst!" will suffice in getting someone's attention.

Uh, not in Brazil.

It honestly perplexed me when I found out how similar (to me, anyway) the Brazilian Portuguese version is to the "Psssssst" I was using (because I didn't know how the other one went, yet).

It was like everyone had on Pssssst-cancelling headphones.

When I later discovered that the way to do it in Brazil is "Psiu" (pronounced: "P-see-you") I just couldn't believe that no one got my American English version.

Really?!? No one thought that I might be discreetly trying to get their attention? Huh.

Speaking of classics, it reminded me of this comic by Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side.

So now ya know, and we all know that is half the battle.

Psiu! Pass it on!

Misdemeanin'

When learning Portuguese, you may be surprised to hear a few English words peppering conversations here and there. A handful of English words have entered Brazilian Portuguese. Most are Brazilianized forms of an English term, and are spelled according to Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation, such as "blogue" for "blog." However, there are other seemingly random English words that appear in everyday conversation that don't actually hold true to the original English meaning.

source

Depending on just how well you speak Portuguese and which English word it is, this could make for some major confusion. You see, there are some English terms or phrases that only halfway entered Brazilian Portuguese. These English words might be connected somehow through a word map, but then again, it could just be something that someone heard somewhere and brought back here, with a misunderstood or slightly different meaning.

Though some of these words may have started out as slang here, they are now full-fledged proper terms. As a foreigner trying to make the transition, you will need to learn the Brazilian Portuguese meaning of some originally English words.

Here are the top 5 English words that mostly made it into Brazilian Portuguese. They are pronounced the same as in English, unless otherwise noted.

1. Shopping = We know this as a shopping mall or mall.


2. Smoking = We know this as a tuxedo.
   
   I have four theories on that one. It is either derived from...
   • a "smoking jacket"
   • from the phrase "smoking hot"
   • someone heard someone else say, "You're smokin'!" and misunderstood it as, "Your Smoking[, Sir]."
   • or someone heard the phrase, "a smoking gun," and got a mental image of James Bond. Hence, um smoking turned into a tuxedo.


3. Personal [pronounced: "pear-sown-all"] = We know this as a personal trainer or trainer.


4. Outdoor [pronounced: "ouch-door"] = We know this as a billboard or a large panel for outdoor advertising.


5. Face = This is what all the kids in Brazil are calling facebook, these days.

source

Not knowing the Brazilian Portuguese definition of these English terms can cause major confusion. Here is a conversation that took place between my husband and me when we first arrived.

Him: "I'm thinking of working with my brother in the outdoors."
Me: "Oh, really? What does he do?"
Him: "Outdoors."
Me: "...but what does he do outdoors?"
Him: (frustrated) "He works with the outdoors."
Me: (wondering where the miscommunication is) "Okay, but out... in the great outdoors... what does he do?"
Him: @#$%^&*!

...and now you know. Be sure to jot down these English words (and new meanings) inside the back cover of your English to Portuguese dictionary.

I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the Dicionário Didático (Guided Dictionary) by Edições SM. It has over 50,000 definitions that include the latest generation's slang terms, newly coined words, acronyms, and abbreviations. It truly gives you the best glimpse into modern Brazilian Portuguese.

They also have the Dicionário Didático Básico, which is a kids' edition. It has 7,000 words, more illustrations and pictures, and the definitions are explained simply & clearly. If you are just starting to learn Portuguese, it will be a great addition to your study materials.

Contact info for this book dealer is on the last page of the pdf for the Dicionário Didático & Dicionário Didático Básico. I was fortunate to find a location nearby, here in Goiânia. I only wish that I had run across these resources during the first few years! It would have made life so much easier. Then again, I'd have fewer ridiculous stories to tell...

A Note on Translating

Before I spoke Portuguese, my friends used to tell me that you cannot directly translate things from Portuguese to English, and I didn’t really understand why. Once I moved here I immediately noticed how movies and TV series were translated – with jokes being the main switcheroo. It started to make sense. Jokes are inherently a cultural thing, whether it be regional or international. Likewise, slang can vary with the dialect of a language.

Although I am writing to acquaint the international English-speaking community with the state of Goiás, and the Portuguese spoken here, I write from a distinctly American perspective. I will convert the kilometers to miles, as well as kilos to pounds. A good example of something that is not a direct translation, but the “American English equivalent” was found in the last article.

Grades are earned as a percentage of 100 in the U.S. – a 70% is passing, but a D. Here they use a scale of 1 – 10 (pretty easy to convert to a percentage of 100). This is where the phrase, “nota dez” comes from. Directly translated it means “10 note,” which further explained means “a grade of a perfect 10” …but for ease of translation in writing from an American standpoint I’ll say, “a score of 100%.”

In translating one language to another, sometimes it can take an entire paragraph to explain a one or two word saying. Here are a few words and phrases, and their meanings. It will be helpful, if you decide to visit, to have these phrases under your belt.

For you to see the difference in what it would be as a direct translation, versus the equivalent in American English, I will denote the direct translation in [brackets] and the equivalent in (parentheses).

• Achado não é roubado.
  [Found is not stolen.] ----- (Finders keepers, losers weepers.)



• É melhor prevenir do que remediar.
  [It's better to prevent than to remedy.] ----- (Better safe than sorry.)



• Ninguém é de ferro.
  [No one is of iron.] ----- (All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.)



• O barato sai caro.
  [Cheaper comes out expensive.] ----- (You get what you pay for.)



• Querer é poder.
  [Want is power.] ----- (Where there's a will there's a way.)

Here’s a little known fact about Brazilian Portuguese: the verbs have 17 different conjugations! (I feel like 17 exclamations here would be overkill, but somehow appropriate.) According to wikipedia, a typical regular verb has over fifty different forms, expressing up to six different grammatical tenses and three moods. Be glad that Brazilian Portuguese has one less verb conjugation than European Portuguese!

Before you freak out, know that I am interested in helping you as much as possible. For ease in helping English speakers to get a small grasp on the language, I will use the infinitive form in Portuguese alongside whichever English tense reads appropriately in the sentence. Looking these verbs up on both English & Portuguese conjugation tables will be the easiest way for the reader to figure out which Portuguese tense is appropriate, while learning the main (infinitive form) verb. I've found that this seems to be the least painful method for native English speakers to wrap their head around the verbs. Truthfully, we can get away with only learning 3 or 4 forms of the verbs, but more on that later…

Please note that some online conjugation tables list "you" as "tu" which is predominantly used in European Portuguese, and in Brazil: only a small region still uses this [antiquated] form. The correct and accepted way to say "you" in Brazilian Portuguese is "você" [pronounced: "v-oh-say"]. The plural form of you ("you all" - or y'all if you are from Texas) is "vocês" [pronounced: "v-oh-say-z"].

Fortunately, there are some phrases that remain the same in both languages. Here are a few...

• É dando que se recebe.
  [Whoever gives, receives.] ----- (It is in giving that we receive.)



• Isto é bom demais para ser verdade. (It’s too good to be true.)



• Nem tudo que reluz é ouro. (Not all that glitters is gold.)



• Melhor do que nada. (It's better than nothing.)



• Não julgue pelas aparências. (Do not judge by appearances.)



• Onde há fumaça, há fogo. (Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.)



• Quem ri por último, ri melhor. (He who laughs last, laughs best.)



• Uma coisa de cada vez. (One thing at a time.)



• Ver para crer.
  [See to believe.] ----- (Seeing is believing.)

It's good to know that some things translate directly in any language!

For more Portuguese verb help, see the following links...

Portuguese : Verb Tense Usage

Flashcards for Your Android Phone - Free App by Street Smart Brazil

Brazilian Portuguese Grammar Guide

Verb Conjugation in Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese info on Wikipedia

All images found on Google