1.2: Second Preliminary Lesson

Lesson Objectives- Objetivos da Lição

• This lesson presents the general rules of syllable division and stress in Portuguese.
• After completing this lesson, the student will be able to better recognize syllables and pronounce words according the correct stress.

Syllabification and Stress- Silabificação e acentuação

In English we frequently hesitate when we have to divide a word into syllables. We are not sure whether to write me-dal or med-al, glimp-sing, glimps-ing, pos-sible or poss-ible. In Portuguese the rules are simpler and more mechanical. Syllable division works according to the following rules:

1. Syllabification- Silabificação

1.1 A single consonant between vowels always belongs with the following syllable:

bagagem	ba-ga-gem
amazonas	a-ma-zo-nas
sotaque	so-ta-que

A group of consonants begins a syllable provided it can also begin a word; combinations of consonant plus l and r are not split even though some of these combinations do not occur at the beginnings of words:

acredito	a-cre-di-to
obrigado	o-bri-ga-do
palavra	pa-la-vra
aclamar	a-cla-mar

Note that s is always separated from a group of consonants:

espada	es-pa-da
prescindir	pres-cin-dir

1.2 Two successive consonants between vowels other than the groups just mentioned accordingly belong to different syllables:

confortante	con-for-tan-te
conforme	con-for-me
português	por-tu-guês

1.3 When there are more than two consonants between vowels, generally only the last one goes with the following syllable unless it is l or r:

transporta	trans-por-ta
inspetor	ins-pe-tor
sempre	sem-pre
abstrair	abs-tra-ir
inclemente	in-cle-men-te

1.4 The syllable division falls between rr and ss:

sorriso	sor-ri-so
passar	pas-sar

1.5 The written combinations ch, lh and nh represent single sounds and hence are not divided:

achar	a-char
mulher	mu-lher
senhor	se-nhor

1.6 Diphthongs are never divided. A diphthong is a combination of any vowel with i or u (but not ii or ui):

caixeiro	cai-xei-ro
animais	a-ni-mais
aurora	au-ro-ra

But diphthongs do not occur before nd, nh, or mb, or before final l, r, z, m, ns (see further paragraph 2.3 below). Diphthong-like combinations in these positions and all other combinations of vowels belong to different syllables:

ainda	a-in-da
rainha	ra-i-nha
voar	vo-ar
coordenar	co-or-de-nar
raíz	ra-iz

2. Stress- Acentuação

Portuguese words are stressed on the last syllable, the second-last syllable, or, less commonly, the third-last syllable. Usually the place of the stress can be determined from the form of the word, according to the rules given below; when this is not the case, the place of the stress must be marked (see further the rules for use of diacritical signs, paragraph 3 below). Following are a few rules for determining the place of the stress from the written form of the word. The first step is to divide the word into syllables, following the rules given in paragraph 1 above. The principal rules for unmarked stress can then be:

2.1 When the last syllable ends in a, e, o, or am, em with or without s, the stress falls on the second-last syllable:

mesa	me-sa
contente	con-ten-te
baixos	bai-xos
aborrecem	a-bor-re-cem
arranjam	ar-ran-jam
homens	ho-mens
simples	sim-ples

2.2 When the last syllable has any other form it receives the stress:

abacaxi	a-ba-ca-xi	animais	a-ni-mais
hotel	ho-tel	ruins	ru-ins
camarim	ca-ma-rim	bombom	bom-bom
comum	co-mum	estudar	es-tu-dar
dizer	di-zer	abrir	a-brir
assaz	as-saz	pururu	pu-ru-ru
falou	fa-lou	dizei	di-zei
mingau	min-gau	museu	mu-seu

2.3 The treatment of two or more successive vowels:

Penultimate (Second-to-last) syllable- Penúltima Sílaba

Recall that a diphthong is any vowel followed by i or u not standing before nd, nh, or mb. A diphthong is always stressed on its first member:

caia	cai-a
aulas	au-las
feira	fei-ra
caixeiro	cai-xei-ro
flibusteiro	fli-bus-tei-ro

But if the i or u is stressed, this combination is no longer a diphthong and the stress must be marked:

saía	sa-i-a
viúvo	vi-u-vo
heroína	he-ro-i-na

A diphthong-like combination before mb, nd, and nh belongs to two separate syllables, and thus the second of the two (standing in the second-last syllable) is stressed:

Coimbra	Co-im-bra
ainda	a-in-da
rainha	ra-i-nha

All other combinations are treated as two separate syllables, just as if there were a consonant between them:

diabo	di-a-bo
baeta	ba-e-ta

When the words with i or u plus vowel require the stress on the i or u, i.e., on the third-to-last syllable, the place of the stress must be marked:

fazíamos	fa-zi-a-mos
período	pe-ri-o-do

At the end of the word- No final de uma palavra

A combination which forms a diphthong is stressed on its first member and comprises the vowel of the final syllable:

chamou	cha-mou
alemão	a-le-mão
falai	fa-lai
comeu	co-meu
mau	mau
escrevei	es-cre-vei

If the last member of such a combination is stressed, that is, if it alone forms the final syllable, it must be marked:

saí	sa-i
baú	ba-u

In the infrequent instances in which two diphthong combinations are possible within a succession of three vowels, the last two form the diphthong:

saiu	sa-iu
contribuiu	con-tri-bu-iu

Recall that since diphthongs do not occur before the final l, r, m, ns, or z, a combination resembling a diphthong in this position actually belongs to two different syllables, the last of which (by rule 2.2) is stressed:

paul	pa-ul
cair	ca-ir
pium	pi-um
ruins	ru-ins
juíz	ju-iz

All other combinations of vowels belong to different syllables, and the word follows the general rule in stressing the second-last syllable:

dia	di-a
boa	bo-a
continuo	con-ti-nu-o
arredio	ar-re-di-o
existia	e-xis-ti-a
principio	prin-ci-pi-o

When the stress falls on another syllable, it must be marked:

férias	fe-ri-as
Bíblia	Bi-bli-a
aliás	a-li-as
princípio	prin-ci-pio
contínuo	con-ti-nuo

Words ending in –iu or –ui combination are stressed on the first vowel unless a written accent indicates otherwise:

contribui	con-tri-bu-i
existiu	e-xis-ti-u

3. Diacritical signs- Os sinais diacríticos

The place of the stress is marked in Portuguese only when it is not in accord with the basic rules given above (paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2). When an a, e, or o is marked for stress, its quality is also indicated at the same time, in the following ways:

3.1 The acute accent (´) is the primary indicator of stress, and can be used on all vowel letters.

When it occurs on e, o, or a it simultaneously indicates open [ε] and [ɔ], and front [a]. It is used in monosyllabic words ending in -a, -e, or -o with or without -s which normally receive stress in the sentence:

má	dás
más	só
pá	sós
pás	pé
dá	pés

In the diphthongs éi [εi], éu [εu], ói [ ɔi], to distinguish them from the identically spelled diphthongs with closed [e] or [o]

papéis	céu	dói
hotéis	véu	lençóis
anéis	chapéu	sóis

In a few words, to distinguish them from identically spelled words:

pára	[he stops]	para	[for]
péla	[he peels]	pela	[for/by the]

3.2 The circumflex accent (^) is used before nasal consonants only over e, o, and a to indicate stressed closed [e͂] and [õ] and stressed central [ɐ͂]:

bênção	lâmpada
cômodo	ângulo

The circumflex is also used:

over the oral stressed closed [e] and [o] of monosyllabic words ending in -e, -es, or -os which normally receive stress in the sentence:

lê	vê	pôs
lês	vês	mês

over the stressed vowel followed immediately by the same vowel:

crêem	perdôo
lêem	abençôo

in some plural verb forms to distinguish them from identically spelled (and often identically pronounced) verb forms:

vêm	[they come]	vem	[he, she, you come(s)]
têm	[they have]	tem	[he, she, you have/has]

on the third person singular of the preterite tense of poder:

pôde

[he, she, you could]

pode

[he, she, you can]

3.3 The grave accent (`) indicates contractions between two as:

à = a + a	[at the]
àquele = a + aquele	[at that]

3.4 The til (˜) indicates nasalization and stress, unless there is another written accent mark:

irmã	impõe
botões	balangandã
alemão	alemães

BUT:

bênção	ben-ção
órfão	or-não

or unless a syllable follows:

irmãzinha

rãzinha

3.5 The cedilla (ç) under c indicates pronunciation as [s]:

içar

açúcar	desço
faço

EXERCISE: Pronounce the following words, stressing the proper syllable in accord with the preceding rules for pronunciation:

• contribuí
• dobradiço
• gaudério
• indiferente
• galã
• útil
• honestidade
• Brasil
• campo
• fuzil
• dízimo
• fuzuê
• divisão
• armezim
• bonança
• arnica
• cafeteria
• polícia
• arranchar
• barururu
• azedume
• indômito
• gogó
• Cleópatra
• hidráulica
• traduzem
• carmim
• nabal
• inteiram
• pândega
• nácar
• continuo
• contíguo
• constitui
• contribui