Portuguese children are talking like Brazilians

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – An article published by the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, one of the most traditional print media in Portugal, drew the attention of the Brazilian public by stating that there are Portuguese children who “only speak Brazilian”.

The reason pointed out by the publication would be the influence of YouTubers from Brazil, the most-watched by Portuguese kids, who would be changing the way children speak.

They say “grama” instead of “relva” for grass; “ônibus” instead of “autocarro for bus; “rebuçado” is “bala” for candy; “riscas” are “listras” for stripes; and the milk is in the “geladeira” instead of in the “frigorífico” for fridge.

Educators notice it, especially after confinement, because of too many hours of exposure to content made by Brazilian YouTubers. The opinions of parents, teachers, and specialists are divided between those who worry and those who relativize because they consider it to be a phase, as happened with soap operas”, says the Portuguese newspaper.

The theme has become one of Brazil’s most talked-about subjects on social networks. Users were divided between those who made fun of the article, pointing to the Brazilian influence reported as a kind of “reverse colonialism” and making comparisons between terms used in Brazil and Portugal, while other users – both Brazilian and Portuguese – questioned the xenophobic content of the publication, by referring to the Portuguese spoken in Brazil as “Brazilian”, despite the language being one.

Another character mentioned in the article and echoed by the networks was the Brazilian YouTuber Luccas Neto, presented by Diário de Notícias as one of the most-watched in Portugal. Some users wrote that the Rio de Janeiro-based content producer would be avenging the Portuguese colonization in America.