Endangered Language Varieties: Vernacular Speech and Linguistic Standardization in Brazilian Portuguese

Guy and Zilles discuss the vernacular speech and linguistic standardization in Brazilian Portuguese. As has been amply documented, a majority of Brazilians speak popular varieties that differ from the prescriptive standard and from the usage of the social elite, with respect to numerous features of phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. this diversity. But this tapestry is now being bleached of its color. Features of the standard language are spreading rapidly, and the grammars of Brazil are being homogenized. One consequence of this homogenization is that the linguistic contributions of some of the founding peoples of Brazil are being suppressed. The tapestry is turning monochromatic, and the color that is emerging is a lot paler than the population. The loss to linguistics and other social sciences from these processes of standardization will be substantial, but the loss to Brazilian society may be even greater.