Lesson 23: Cool Little Words,  Nicknames

Lesson 23: Cool Little Words, Nicknames

Author: College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin March 23, 2007 Duration: 9:11
asset title: Lesson 23: Cool Little Words, Nicknames filename: tafalado_23.mp3 track number: 24/46 time: 9:11 size: 6.46 MB bitrate: 96 kbps Let's see if we have this right? Michelle's family gave her the nickname 'witch' because of how moody she became when under stress at school, right? Wow, that's a mean nickname, at least from a North American point of view. This lesson is a bit different in that we don't look at pronunciation directly, but we do look at the little extra words that people add to their speech, like, you know, umm, well, like, whatever, you know? Dialog Portuguese Michelle: Cê sabe que os americanos acham estranho certos apelidos que a gente coloca nas pessoas. Valdo: Diga aí ... vem cá, eles não usam apelidos? Michelle: Então, veja só ... quando eu digo que meu apelido no Brasil é 'bruxa' ninguém acredita. Eles acham estranho, um pouco cruel, sabe? Valdo: Peraí ... eles não usam apelidos como 'gordo', 'magrela', 'baixinho', 'alemão'? Pô, isso é uma forma de demonstrar, tipo, amizade no Brasil, né? Michelle: Viu, não é que eles não usam apelidos aqui, mas é diferente, entende? Geralmente é só um diminutivo do nome, como 'Liz' para Elizabeth, 'Bob' para Robert, tá vendo? Valdo: Ah, tá ... não é um nome engraçado como os que a gente usa e que vem de uma característica física que a pessoa tenha, por exemplo. Ah, sei ... Bom, então a gente se fala mais tarde, falô? Spanish Michelle: Sabe que los americanos consideran raros los apodos que les damos nosotros a outros. Valdo: Dime, ven acá, ¿no utilizan ellos apodos? Michelle: Entonces, mira, cuando les digo que mi apodo en Brasil es 'bruja' nadie lo cree. Ellos piensan que es muy raro y un poco cruel, ¿sabe? Valdo: Espera, ¿no usan ellos apodos como 'gordo', 'flaquito', 'bajito', 'alemán'? Pues, eso es una forma de mostrarles, a ver, amistad en Brasil, ¿no? Michelle: 'Bob' para Robert, tá vendo? Ves, no es que no utilizan apodos aquí, pero es diferente, ¿sabe? Generalmente es una forma diminutivo del nombre, como 'Liz para Elizabeth, 'Bob' para Robert, ¿lo ves? Valdo: Está bien, no serúa un nombre chistoso como los que nosotros usamos, estos que vienen de las características físicas que la persona tenga por ejemplo. Bien, entonces podemos hablar más de eso más tarde, ¿está bien? English Michelle: You know that Americans think it is strange the way we give nicknames to other people. Valdo: Come on, tell me, you mean they don't use nicknames? Michelle: So, look, when I tell them that my nickname in Brazil is 'witch' nobody believes it. They think it is strange and a little cruel, you know? Valdo: Hold on ... you mean they don't say things like 'fat', 'skinny', 'short', 'German'? Wow, this is the way that we show, you know, friendship in Brazil, right? Michelle: You know, it's not that they don't use nicknames, but it's different, you know? Generally they just use diminutive forms of a name like 'Liz for Elizabeth, 'Bob' for Robert, you see? Valdo: OK then, so it's not a funny name like the ones that we use that come from some physical characteristic that the person hás for example. I've got it, OK, we'll talk more later, OK?

For anyone who speaks Spanish and wants to learn the distinct sounds of Brazilian Portuguese, Tá Falado is a focused and practical resource. This podcast comes from the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, and it’s built on a simple, effective idea: your existing knowledge of Spanish is a powerful starting point. Each episode deliberately contrasts the two languages, breaking down specific pronunciation challenges like vowel sounds, nasal consonants, and intonation patterns that often trip up Spanish speakers. You’ll hear clear comparisons and practice examples that highlight these differences directly. Beyond the mechanics of speech, the podcast naturally weaves in cultural notes and real-life scenarios, offering glimpses into daily life and social interactions in Brazil compared to common experiences in the United States. It’s this combination of linguistic precision and cultural context that makes the lessons stick. As part of the broader Brazilpod project, Tá Falado is academically informed but entirely approachable, turning a potentially difficult learning curve into a series of manageable, insightful steps. The goal isn’t just to be understood, but to sound more authentic and confident when speaking.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 46

Tá Falado: Brazilian Portuguese Pronunciation for Speakers of Spanish
Podcast Episodes
Supplementary Lesson 2: Portuguese Consonant Sounds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:33
asset title: Supplementary Lesson 2: Portuguese Consonant Sounds filename: tafalado_suppl_02.mp3 track number: 26/46 time: 5:33 size: 3.90 MB bitrate: 96 kbps Unlike the regular podcast lessons, we've included some other…
Lesson 24: Intonation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:05
asset title: Lesson 24: Intonation filename: tafalado_24.mp3 track number: 25/46 time: 15:05 size: 10.61 MB bitrate: 96 kbps Today's lesson is totally different. Instead of listening to a dialog and comparing the sounds…
Lesson 22: Epenthetic Vowels (wow, fancy word!),  Fast Food [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:50
asset title: Lesson 22: Epenthetic Vowels (wow, fancy word!), Fast Food filename: tafalado_22.mp3 track number: 23/46 time: 11:50 size: 8.32 MB bitrate: 96 kbps Epenthe ... what? Epenthetic vowels. We know, it sounds lik…
Lesson 20: Pronunciation of 'lh', Automatic Sprinklers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:38
asset title: Lesson 20: Pronunciation of 'lh', Automatic Sprinklers filename: tafalado_20.mp3 track number: 21/46 time: 12:38 size: 4.44 MB bitrate: 48 kbps The 'mulher molhada trabalhava' is rendered in Spanish as 'muje…
Lesson 19: Pronunciation of 'nh', Laundromats, Really? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:25
asset title: Lesson 19: Pronunciation of 'nh', Laundromats, Really? filename: tafalado_19.mp3 track number: 20/46 time: 11:25 size: 4.02 MB bitrate: 48 kbps Valdo and Michelle still can't get used to the idea of taking t…
Lesson 18: Pronunciation of 'ch', You Call That a Steak House? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:42
asset title: Lesson 18: Pronunciation of 'ch', You Call That a Steak House? filename: tafalado_18.mp3 track number: 19/46 time: 12:42 size: 4.47 MB bitrate: 48 kbps For the meat lovers of the world, we present the Brazil…
Lesson 15: Pronunciation of 'r' sounds (alt),  Good Tippers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:12
asset title: Lesson 15: Pronunciation of 'r' sounds (alt), Good Tippers filename: tafalado_15.mp3 track number: 16/46 time: 10:12 size: 3.59 MB bitrate: 48 kbps Our carioca is back! Once again Vivian Flanzer joins Michel…