The Portuguese Language Spelling Accord

Abstract

The process of adopting an official orthography for the Portuguese language was completed very late in history, only in the twentieth century, and it was independently triggered by the Brazilian Letters Academy (in 1907) and the Portuguese sciences academy (in 1911). The diplomatic negotiations between the nations involved were countless ones along the following decades, and also included, in due time, other former Portuguese colonies. Since 2006, all countries are gradually ratifying a unified orthography decided in 1990, but the process is much debated in the public space. The root of the disagreement has to do with the fact that both the Portuguese and the Brazilian sets of graphematic norms, although aiming at phonological segments, include transcription rules for variant matter: different phonetic realizations that are triggered by phonological processes.