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Dictionary definition of “Portunol”

Portunol

n. a mixture of the Spanish and Portuguese languages, usu. spoken. Also Portunhol, Portuñol. Subjects: , , , ,
Etymological Note: Sp. Portugués or Port. Portuguese + Sp. Español or Port. Espanhol
Citations: 1978 Milton M. Azevedo The Modern Language Journal (Jan.–Feb.) “Identifying Spanish Interference in the Speech of Learners of Portuguese” vol. 62, no. 1/2, p. 18: Portunhol (or Portuñol) is jocular trade jargon for Portuguese (or Spanish) spoke with notieceable Spanish (or Portuguese) interference. 1988 Oakland Ross Globe and Mail (Toronto, Can.) (Jan. 14) “In Mozambique Bilingualism is just a start” p. A8: In Portuguese Africa, I find I can muddle along by speaking something that might be referred to as portunol—basically Spanish, with as many Portuguese words, word-endings and inflections as I can muster. 2004 D. Murali The Hindu Business Line (Chennai, India) (May 31) “Loner, and a team man too”: The team adopted “what they called Portunol, a hybrid of Spanish and Portugese.”

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