Our podcast comes to you from Austin, Texas. Valdo and Michelle have noticed that here in Austin there are movie theaters that serve full meals, just like in regular restaurants. What a great idea, and that is our cultural observation for this lesson.
As to the sounds of Portuguese and Spanish, we take on a big one today. Valdo and Michelle help us to understand when Portuguese words that are written with an “s” sound like an “s” and when they sound like a “z.” Get ready for their five rules! Spanish speaking listeners, get ready to say more “z” sounds.
PODCAST LINK: Lesson 12
In the previous lesson we learned all about palatalization, when words spelled with “ti” sound like “chee” and words with “di” sound like “jee.” This is pretty much true for people in live in the central regions of Brazil. However, in the far north and in the far south of Brazil, it is much less common. Today we introduce everyone to Alfredo Barros who is from Teresinha, Pernambuco. We’ll all get a chance to hear his dialect, from a region where people don’t have as much palatalization. It makes for a great comparison with the way that Valdo and Michelle talk.
PODCAST LINK: Lesson 11
One of the great differences between Spanish and Portuguese is seen in how Brazilians pronounce words that are spelled with “ti,” which sounds more like “chee” and how words spelled with “di” sound more like “jee.” The fancy word for this is palatalization. But look out, not all Brazilian dialects do it. So, in this lesson we listen to Valdo and Michelle, who both do it. In the next lesson we’ll repeat the same dialog to hear what these words sound like without palatalization.
As to the culture part of this lesson, Valdo and Michelle talk about the use of cellular phones while driving.
PODCAST LINK: Lesson 10