TILFT #276:

If there’s a body of concepts that I don’t understand or just don’t agree with, I can just ask pretty please with sugar on top for people on tumblr never to discuss them at all, ever. 

(Source: thingsilearnedfrom)

still-life

(Source: sarahillenberger.com)

commonunity:

ancient clicks hint language is african-born.

A researcher analyzing the sounds in languages spoken around the world has detected an ancient signal that points to southern Africa as the place where modern human language originated.

The finding fits well with the evidence from fossil skulls and DNA that modern humans originated in Africa. It also implies, though does not prove, that modern language originated only once, an issue of considerable controversy among linguists.

The detection of such an ancient signal in language is surprising. Because words change so rapidly, many linguists think that languages cannot be traced very far back in time. The oldest language tree so far reconstructed, that of the Indo-European family, which includes English, goes back 9,000 years at most.

Quentin D. Atkinson, a biologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, has shattered this time barrier, if his claim is correct, by looking not at words but at phonemes — the consonants, vowels and tones that are the simplest elements of language.  Dr. Atkinson, an expert at applying mathematical methods to linguistics, has found a simple but striking pattern in some 500 languages spoken throughout the world: A language area uses fewer phonemes the farther that early humans had to travel from Africa to reach it.

posted in the new york times

"Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge."

Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture
(1993)

(Source: , via tobia)

I think Beckett writes almost, to some extent, a little bit more the way we actually talk… In that - we don’t… we have our own interior logic, all of us. We know what we mean, we know what we’re feeling but… it kinda comes out in fits and starts and maybe repetitions when we try to explain ourselves to a friend or whoever.

Carioca? →

thenakedsamba:

sendmelies:

thenakedsamba:

Somewhere in your game (thanks for the mug, by the way! It makes me feel like Colbert.) you’ve forgotten that I am a middle class Carioca, whose grandmother, a writer, taught Brasilian Portuguese to children (many who were children of foreigners/children of one Brasilian parent married to a foreigner) for many years, and oh yeah! After being living in the US for so long, every time I return to Brasil I have to re-learn the model in the documents you linked, lest I enjoy my father telling me I sound like a German and my family joking about how ‘Gringo’ I am. 

Assumption Points for you.

Now let’s break this down, shall we?

1. I never mocked my own accent in English. But it would be pretty ironic, yeah? AMEI.

2.  I never said my own accent was irritating. I said, and I quote, “Acho o sotaque Carioca fácil de imitar, pelo menos de uma forma exagerada e boba.” (“I think the Carioca [accent] speech is easy to imitate, at least in a way that is exaggerated and silly.”) Seen it happen. Have done it myself. In case you missed what was a conversation between Ian and I, the context was: Ian had asked for suggestions about recording a Portuguese audio post, and I said they should imitate a Carioca accent, to which they replied, as evident by the first post of this thread, that they probably would not be able to. Re-insert previous quote where I suggested, not inaccurately, that it is simple to do an overblown, if not stereotyped, imitation of Carioca speech. 

What’s the score so far?

Let’s recap:

Ian makes a post asking about his their accent. You reblog it by saying it is easy to imitate carioca by exaggerating its features. From that point on it is a trash-a-carioca-fest, to the point of someone saying (and I quote): “and people who don’t know Brazil might mistake it for Portuguese”.

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe this phrase construct is somewhat problematic. Hence the “YOU FAIL” post.

I even linked to actual documents that demonstrate how Carioca is the model speech for Portuguese spoken in Brazil. One can argue how oppressing this is, but that’s not what we were talking about.

As for assumptions; considering that I have no idea of who you are and frankly that information adds absolutely nothing to the debate, you’re the one assuming that

• I should know who you are
• Knowing who you are holds any relevance to the matter

And the one mistake I made was saying that you mocked the accent in English, while you did so in Portuguese (link). This is your own example of “silly and exaggerated” speech. But the evidence shows that you actually did mock your own accent, as ironic as it is. I’m glad you love it. You used English language to justify your mockery, again and again.

So far the score is really low, and all the assumption points go for you - combo breaker, after all.

Of course you’re free to ridicule upper-class cariocas all you like, it’s not like they’re mocked in Brazil or anything. You even got a mug for it, so good job.

Yes, the phrase construct was problematic, but not was not written by me, neither was it supported by me.

Check your definition of context. Because it seems to me like you’re accusing me of “trash[ing]-[a]-carioca,” or having opened a carioca-hate fest, particularly in regards to middle and upper class cariocas. Given the context that I am a middle, arguably middle-to-upper class carioca myself, as is the rest of my family, the accusation is entirely ridiculous. 

So go on: make a game out of my self-deprecating humor. Use all the snark you’ve got. 

I’ll be here heinously making of mockery out of, damn, myself and my family. Ouch. I really hate us. And like you said, it’s not like we’re mocked in Brasil or anything. Us beach-loving, Rio Sul-shopping, coconut water-sipping, middle and upper class folks. We’re just so damn mocked all the damn time. Somos os piores!

[crickets]

Nice gif, though.

(Source: kadalkavithaigal, via )

Carioca? →

thenakedsamba:

Somewhere in your game (thanks for the mug, by the way! It makes me feel like Colbert.) you’ve forgotten that I am a middle class Carioca, whose grandmother, a writer, taught Brasilian Portuguese to children (many who were children of foreigners/children of one Brasilian parent married to a foreigner) for many years, and oh yeah! After being living in the US for so long, every time I return to Brasil I have to re-learn the model in the documents you linked, lest I enjoy my father telling me I sound like a German and my family joking about how ‘Gringo’ I am. 

Assumption Points for you.

Now let’s break this down, shall we?

1. I never mocked my own accent in English. But it would be pretty ironic, yeah? AMEI.

2.  I never said my own accent was irritating. I said, and I quote, “Acho o sotaque Carioca fácil de imitar, pelo menos de uma forma exagerada e boba.” (“I think the Carioca [accent] speech is easy to imitate, at least in a way that is exaggerated and silly.”) Seen it happen. Have done it myself. In case you missed what was a conversation between Ian and I, the context was: Ian had asked for suggestions about recording a Portuguese audio post, and I said he should imitate a Carioca accent, to which he replied, as evident by the first post of this thread, that he probably would not be able to. Re-insert previous quote where I suggested, not inaccurately, that it is simple to do an overblown, if not stereotyped, imitation of Carioca speech. 

What’s the score so far?

Let’s recap:

Ian makes a post asking about his their accent. You reblog it by saying it is easy to imitate carioca by exaggerating its features. From that point on it is a trash-a-carioca-fest, to the point of someone saying (and I quote): “and people who don’t know Brazil might mistake it for Portuguese”.

Please correct me if I’m wrong but I believe this phrase construct is somewhat problematic. Hence the “YOU FAIL” post.

I even linked to actual documents that demonstrate how Carioca is the model speech for Portuguese spoken in Brazil. One can argue how oppressing this is, but that’s not what we were talking about.

As for assumptions; considering that I have no idea of who you are and frankly that information adds absolutely nothing to the debate, you’re the one assuming that

• I should know who you are
• Knowing who you are holds any relevance to the matter

And the one mistake I made was saying that you mocked the accent in English, while you did so in Portuguese (link). This is your own example of “silly and exaggerated” speech. But the evidence shows that you actually did mock your own accent, as ironic as it is. I’m glad you love it. You used English language to justify your mockery, again and again.

So far the score is really low, and all the assumption points go for you - combo breaker, after all.

Of course you’re free to ridicule upper-class cariocas all you like, it’s not like they’re mocked in Brazil or anything. You even got a mug for it, so good job.

(Source: kadalkavithaigal, via )

Carioca?

thenakedsamba:

Carioca?

sendmelies:

leoboudo:

thenakedsamba:

theimmigrantpunk:

thenakedsamba:

theimmigrantpunk:

thenakedsamba:

it-takes-a-muscle:

‘Henry me perguntou para imitar um sotaque carioca. Eu não acho que posso. Todo mundo no Rio diz que eu pareço eu sou de Portugal. O que é muito estranho porque eu não acho que eu já ouvi o português europeu. Eu não sei o que dizer. Eu deveria estar estudando alguma coisa. Mas isso conta como estudar português, certo? Ajude-me a justificar a minha procrastinação!’

Hmm, vou ter que ouvir your audio posts de novo, mas não achei nada parecido com Portugal. 

Acho o sotaque Carioca fácil de imitar, pelo menos de uma forma exagerada e boba. Well, you know, this is coming from someone that is from Rio. Sou Carioca e já escutei muito o nosso sotaque.

whatchu mean exagerada e boba!

“Diz aê, cara! QUAÉ MANO?! TA ME ENCARANDO BRÓDEHRRR?!!! VAI TOMAR-…”

SO TRUE. not even gonna lie, cariocas are like super charged brazilians.

It’s one of the reasons why our Exotics Privileges Card is so very special. 

Many people find the carioca way to speak a little irritating and I can understand why. It’s heavy, it’s exaggerated… Gorgeous! This is the accent I learned and people who don’t know Brazil might mistake it for Portuguese.

I once read a piece about it, let me find it…

You FAIL! Do yourself a favor and shut up. Thanks for playing.

I’ve read some of these before, so I don’t understand why this was directed at me (if it was). Important reading though, yes. Particularly A Suposta Supremacia da Fala Carioca: Uma Questão de Norma and Mudanças nas Normas para a boa pronúncia da língua portuguesa no canto e no teatro no Brasil: 1938, 1956 e 2005.

The hegemonification of Carioca speech leads to further marginalization, no question. And the assumption that the Carioca is superior is beyond problematic. I should also add that Cariocas, particularly from the middle and upper classes, far too often engage in some awful privilege-mongering. That’s why I said the Carioca Exotics Privileges Card is so special: we are the most visible to tourists. That’s how far-reaching First World exotification and erasure of the “Global South” folks is. And how, as Brasil continues to adapt to US-ian and Western European models, it further increases issues of class-oppression, elitism, etc. within the country.

My first post wasn’t directed at you, but this one is.

I actually agree with the points you make. Yes, and because upper class cariocas engage in such privilege-mongering it is really fine to mock their accent and point out how irritating it sounds. Feel free to imitate and exaggerate its features and nevermind the documents I linked pointing out it is the actual model of speech used to teach Brazilian Portuguese to foreigners. Actually when you engage in mocking carioca accent IN ENGLISH (oh, the irony!) it makes complete sense as we can see you’re a champion fighting against exotification and elitism.

Please collect your mug from the front desk. Thanks for playing!

(Source: kadalkavithaigal, via )

"Idiot (n): A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling."

Ambrose Bierce - The Devil’s Dictionary (via iamair)

(Source: airscatter, via paxmachina)

Carioca? →

leoboudo:

thenakedsamba:

theimmigrantpunk:

thenakedsamba:

theimmigrantpunk:

thenakedsamba:

it-takes-a-muscle:

‘Henry me perguntou para imitar um sotaque carioca. Eu não acho que posso. Todo mundo no Rio diz que eu pareço eu sou de Portugal. O que é muito estranho porque eu não acho que eu já ouvi o português europeu. Eu não sei o que dizer. Eu deveria estar estudando alguma coisa. Mas isso conta como estudar português, certo? Ajude-me a justificar a minha procrastinação!’

Hmm, vou ter que ouvir your audio posts de novo, mas não achei nada parecido com Portugal. 

Acho o sotaque Carioca fácil de imitar, pelo menos de uma forma exagerada e boba. Well, you know, this is coming from someone that is from Rio. Sou Carioca e já escutei muito o nosso sotaque.

whatchu mean exagerada e boba!

“Diz aê, cara! QUAÉ MANO?! TA ME ENCARANDO BRÓDEHRRR?!!! VAI TOMAR-…”

SO TRUE. not even gonna lie, cariocas are like super charged brazilians.

It’s one of the reasons why our Exotics Privileges Card is so very special. 

Many people find the carioca way to speak a little irritating and I can understand why. It’s heavy, it’s exaggerated… Gorgeous! This is the accent I learned and people who don’t know Brazil might mistake it for Portuguese.

I once read a piece about it, let me find it…

You FAIL! Do yourself a favor and shut up. Thanks for playing.

(Source: kadalkavithaigal, via timecodereading)