Midway
In the middle of the way there was a stone
there was a stone in the middle of the way
had a stone
in the middle of the way there was a stone.
I will never forget this event
in the life of my so tired retinas.
I'll never forget that halfway
had a stone
there was a stone in the middle of the way
in the middle of the way there was a stone.
(Carlos Drummond de Andrade, in “Some Poetry)
At some point in your life you must have read this poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Is not it? Well, know that the renowned poet, considered the greatest of the 20th century, received numerous criticisms because of these verses. He collected newspaper clippings with articles about the poem and every opinion of the “understanders” on the subject, and when the verses turned forty years old, Drummond published a book divulging all the reviews received, a kind of biography of “In the middle of the path". But what could be wrong with the poem published in 1928 in the famous Journal of Anthropophagy? Why did he arouse so much interest and cause such a stir?
The verses of “Amidst the road” were considered poor and repetitive, rejected because of their “gross Brazilianism, blunt Portuguese error” (these were the words used in the criticism made by the newspaper morning sheet in 1942), an unfriendly critique that condemned the substitution of the verb “haver” for the verb “to have”, considered too colloquial to be used in Literature. Drummond was annoyed by the controversy surrounding his verse and the inability of his critics to understand that language and speech are inseparable elements. The poet already knew this for more than eighty years, but until today the “errors of Portuguese” are discussed to exhaustion, in most cases these discussions ignore important elements, such as linguistic variations.
Fortunately, the Portuguese language has evolved, and replacing the verb “haver” with the verb “have” no longer yields any tiny little notes in the corner of the newspaper. This brings us to an interesting question, which reminds us that language is a living and dynamic organism. But, after all, what will be the future of the Portuguese language? What was absurd eighty years ago is now absolutely acceptable. Will what is absurd today also be acceptable in, say, a hundred years? Probably yes. Brazilians today would hardly engage in an ordinary dialogue with Brazilians who lived two hundred years ago, just as we would possibly be misunderstood by Brazilians from the 2200s. Can you imagine how funny this meeting of generations would be?
Brazilian Portuguese is extremely receptive compared to Portuguese Portuguese, which, in the almost quixotic defense of the language, execrates foreignisms and neologisms. In Brazil, the Portuguese language is a nice girl, it welcomes new words – mainly from English – and, sometimes, it even makes a space in the dictionary so that these new words are more comfortable in our lexicography. Importing and adapting words is not exactly new: at the beginning of the 20th century, French was one of the most important languages precisely because France exerted great power over the world. So chic was speaking French and importing as many words as possible from that language. Then, with the rise of American power, the English language became a world fever, so we copied expressions and words from English, subservient to its cultural power.
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Don't be surprised if Mandarin, the official language of China, suddenly begins to infiltrate lands Brazilians, because history proves that the tendency is to copy words from other countries that have become important. Also, don't be surprised if suddenly speaking considered uneducated begins to gain linguistic prestige, because the fashion is now to value differences between groups (long live globalization!). So some regional dialects in Brazil can gain notability and respect, supporting the idea of linguistic variations.
Gerundism, a language addiction that is now frowned upon by language scholars, may become part of part of the cultured norm, it is enough for it to gain prestige and reach written texts without being amazed by that. The great truth is that the evolution of the Portuguese language is visible, it is daily modified by its speakers, its true owners. We are the ones who decide which words will be consecrated by use and which words will be discarded due to the lack of adherence of the speakers. Changes are so fast that grammars and dictionaries can barely keep up, they wait for expressions and words to remain in the language before making changes to the textbooks. Therefore, what today is configured as an innovation in the Portuguese language could become standard in writing for our grandchildren! As for the question about the future of the language, the answer will only be time.
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Examples of the evolution of the Portuguese language: ● In the oral modality, and even in the written modality, we have already replaced the classic personal pronouns with more colloquial ones: “We we don't just want food, we we want food, fun and art” → “we don't just want food, we wants food, entertainment and art”. ● The future of the present has been replaced by the periphrastic future: "Me I will love until the end of my days” → “I I will love until the end of my days”. ● The enclisis, pronoun after the verb, also shows signs that it will soon disappear: “I love you so much, my love!” → “I love you so much, my love." |
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "The future of the Portuguese language"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/o-futuro-lingua-portuguesa.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2021.
