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ENGLISH
PORTUGUESE LINGUISTICS & CULTURE |
Autor: | Miguel Vieira |
E-mail: | maica_rica@yahoo.com |
Data: | 30/DEZ/2002 4:13 PM |
Assunto: | Re: Happy New Year |
Mensagem: | Dear Roberto, I also wish that you may have a wonderful new year. You're right, I don't feel totally confident speaking and writing in Portuguese. It's not that I am not able to, and the reasons are multifaceted. You see, I went to Elementary, Middle and some High school in Cabo Verde. In CV, the national language is a hybrid language called KRIOLO. Portuguese, however, is the language of power and prestige (I wish it were the other way). Anyway, foreign languages in Cabo Verde are taught from a totally right and wrong perspective. The vast majority of teachers possess an authoritarian teaching style. (Totally opposite of what Ricardo thinks should be the ideal language teacher). Moreover, anytime one makes a "mistake", one is unmercifully corrected along with being looked down by "os que falam a língua de Camões bem". So in a way, I believe, this is perhaps the main reason for my lacking the confidence I should have, for I know for a fact that my verbal skills are not poor at all. Nonetheless, as said in the previous posting, this year would be the Portuguese mastering year. And guess what, Brazilian Portuguese is the version I wish to master. I'm hoping you'll be helping me along the journey. Cumprimentos, -Miguel Vieira |