Does European Portuguese preserve any archaic or traditional sounds from Old Portuguese?

Answer 1

Hi there,

Yes, European Portuguese does preserve some archaic or traditional sounds from Old Portuguese. The language has evolved over centuries, but certain phonetic features have remained relatively stable in European Portuguese. For example, the pronunciation of the "sh" sound (similar to the English "sh" in "shoe") in words like "chave" (key) and "chefe" (boss) is one such feature.

Another example is the preservation of certain vowel sounds that have shifted in Brazilian Portuguese. For instance, the open "e" and "o" sounds in words like "pé" (foot) and "pó" (dust) are more distinctly pronounced in European Portuguese.

If you’re interested in learning more about the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese or want to dive deeper into the language, feel free to reach out. I'm here to help!

Best regards,

Rubens