Summary p224

224 CONYERSATIONAL PORTUGUESE

(3) variations occur in different areas:

a.    in a finał unstressed position: in Brazil it varies between the sound of i in did and the i in machinę; in Portugal it is often clipped sharply, being like a mute e, or it is dropped.

b.    stressed e before j, ch, Ih, nh, in Portugal can have the sound of finał a in America, or of closed e.

c.    in an unstressed position it is sometimes pronounced as e in be, in parts of Brazil, as mute e in Portugal, or as i in did in both.

i as i in machinę.

o (1) “open” as o in off; ó has this sound.

(2)    “closed” as in rosę; ó has this sound and soj does nasal o.

(3)    in an unstressed position and in the case of the definite article o, os (“the”) it is also pronounced like oo in boot; this is hearif quite regularly in Portugal, but less consistently in Brazil.

u approximates u in ruie.

ai	ai in aisle.
au	ou in out.
ei	ey in they.

¹ Aiso see Lesson 4.

ći similar sound with open e.¹

eu    ey of they plus u of lute.

ću    similar but with    open e.

ia    ya in yard.

tó    ye in^e^.

ie    similar but with    close e.

io    yo in yoke.

iu    e plus u of lute.

oi    oy in boy.

ói    similar but with    open o.

ou    ou in soul.

ua wah, as ua in ąuadrangle.

uć    we in wet

ui we (if main stress is on u, however, like u of lute plus e).

uo wo in woe, or as uó.

CONSONANTS²

Those consonants not mentioned are approxi-mately like English.

c before a, o, and u, and before another eon-sonant like c in cut.

c before e and i like c in center.

ch this combination as ch in machinę.

1

   The sound indicated in ći may also be given in the case of ei in some cases. This is also true of other members of the pairs given.

2

   Also see Lessons 1, 2, 3.