School of Modern Languages Newcastle University

WINTER 2014

PORTUGUESE@NEWCASTLE Edited by Ana assunção and loiana pavlichenko

The Languages for the Future report of 2013 

identifies  Portuguese  as  one  of  the most 

vital  languages to the UK over the next 20 

years.  It was  chosen  based  on  economic, 

geopolitical,  cultural  and  educational  fac‐

tors  including the needs of UK businesses,  

UK overseas trade targets, diplomatic and security priorities, and 

the prevalence of Portuguese on the internet. This year Newcastle 

University  is  celebrating  50  years  of    Portuguese  teaching  at 

School  of Modern  Languages,  and  to mark  the  anniversary we 

have a whole programme of seminars and events, including a lec‐

ture  by  the  President  of  Camões  ‐  Instituto  da  Cooperação  e  da 

Língua as “Distinguished Speaker” on the 13th of March, as well as 

exhibitions and student activities. The Portuguese Language Cen‐

tre at Newcastle University promotes and supports research pro‐

jects  in the areas of Language, History, Literature and Culture of 

Portugal and the Lusophone world, and provides students, teach‐

ers  and  other  stakeholders  with  the means  of  deepening  their 

knowledge and implementing their projects, by providing materi‐

als and organising activities of a cultural nature related to Portugal 

and the Lusophone world. 

 2014 is also  the year in which Portugal 

celebrates    the 40th anniversary of  the 

April  revolution,  with  the  subsequent 

independence  of  the  African  colonies. 

The  April  revolution  is  also  known  as 

the Carnation Revolution:  the  red  car‐

nation became the symbol of the Revo‐

lution in April 1974, when a florist from 

Lisbon distributed red carnations to the 

population,  who  offered  them  to  the 

soldiers.   On that day the flowers were 

put in the  rifles, symbolizing the desire for peace. 

 

On April 25th 1974, the Armed Forces 

Movement  (MFA)  put  an  end  to  the 

dictatorial  regime  which  had  over‐

whelmed the Portuguese for 48 years. 

On  the morning of  that day,  the mili‐

tary kept their promise and put an end 

to  the  repression,  the  war  and  the 

colonial  policies.  The  colonies  were 

finally  free  and  democracy  was  re‐

stored.     

This movement ended the isolation of 

Portugal and helped  the birth of new 

independent countries. It was a pioneer movement of huge demo‐

cratic change around the world and demonstrated that the Armed 

Forces do not have  to be  an  instrument of oppression  and may 

instead be the liberators of people.            

Democratizing,  Developing  and  Decolonizing  was  the 

motto that was then brought back to Portugal as a forum of free 

nations and peace lovers.  

In 2014 we will also celebrate the 140th anniversary of Eça 

de Queirós’s consulship in Newcastle upon Tyne.     

Eça de Queirós  is one of  the most  important Portuguese 

writers of all time. He was also a diplomat and  lived  in Newcastle 

upon  Tyne  in  1845 where  he was  consul. He wrote  some  of  his 

major works in this city, such as O primo Basílio, O Crime do Padre 

Amaro as well as several texts  in which he expresses his views on 

the English: Cartas de  Inglaterra, Crónicas de Londres, Notas Con‐

temporâneas and Correspondência. But it is in his master piece, Os 

Maias,  that  we  can  find  his 

deepest  view of England  ide‐

alized as a model of the civili‐

zation. Eça de Queirós lived in 

53, Grey Street. Nowadays his 

house  is a  cosy  café.  It’s well 

worth a visit! 

A warm welcome from our staff We are very pleased to present to you the second edition of the Portuguese Newsletter. We intend to offer you an insight into the Portuguese learning experience at Newcastle University through our students’ testi-monies and our social and cultural events. We hope the newsletter shows you how involved our staff and students are in promoting Portuguese language and Lusophone culture inside and outside the classroom.

The Portuguese Language Centre is al-

ways promoting social events to give our

students opportunities to develop their

communicative skills, but above all, to

have fun! We know “Uni time” is the best

time of our lives and we need to make the

most of it!

Last term, the Portuguese Language Centre and our student social committee, formed by Eddie Taylor, Tim Anstey

and Kerry Wilkin, organised regular meetings of the Portuguese Cafe, our most traditional

event! The Cafe has taken place in different venues: sometimes at a pub, to warm up for the

night ahead with some informal and relaxed chatting, other times at Bar Loco, a multicultural

venue, in which diversity is more than welcomed! The Portuguese community is always mas-

sively present and its members simply love to help the students who are keen to use their Por-

tuguese to gain confidence and fluency. The highlights of the events at The Goose, as well as at

Bar Loco, were a fun quiz, music offered by the Portuguese DJ, Paulo Gama, and a super show,

performed by Tuga Tribe, a Portuguese duet that mixes traditional Portuguese folk music and

electronic music. Tuga Tribe and DJ Paulo were also present at our food friendly

event, Feijoada Cultural, in which our

students not only experienced the flavours

of Brazilian and Portuguese Cuisine, but

also learnt their first Samba steps. Caipi-

rinhas, the Brazilian national drink and

one of Bar Loco’s specialties, made the par-

ty even more relaxed! We truly believe that learning happens everywhere!!!

Celebrating Portuguese at Newcastle:

Portuguese Cafe, Feijoada Cultural and 2014 Events

Future Events in 2014 Seminars

06/02/2017 - Notorious and Public Scandal : gender and

power in relationships of concubinage, Bahia 1750-1808, Selina Patel

13/03/2014 - Distiguished Speaker: Camoes Institute

President

24/04/2014 - The Luso-Brazilian Empire 1777-1807, An-

thony Gray

15/11/2014 - 100 years of Brazilian Republic, Professor

Jens Hentschke Social Events

10 –15/03 at The Atrium Gallery - Celebrating The Car-

nation Revolution: a special exhibition telling the story of the 25th of April (full display from 21/04—02/05 at The Long Corridor)

Portuguese Language Day Celebrations

Portuguese Language Centre involved in ¡Vamos!  Festival  

2014 

The Portuguese Cafe

Films display through the year

Projects

The Portuguese Language Centre is also involved in

The Translation Project and becoming involved in the Linguacast run by Newcastle University Language Re-source Centre.

A volunteer in Rio de Janeiro

I’m writing this from Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil, where I’ve been working as a volunteer for the

last three months. The organi-sation I’m volunteering for is

Iko Poran and I’m living in a shared house in the Santa Tere-

sa neighbourhood with other volunteers. I study Spanish,

Portuguese and Latin American Studies at Newcastle Uni-versity and wanted to share my year abroad experience so

far. My project in a nutshell: I work at a project in a small community centre where many kids spend part of their

days. I can do many things with the children, including teaching English, telling them about England, different ac-

tivities or games, and sometimes trips to the park nearby. On Mondays they often take me for a little walk around the community, excitedly pointing out their homes and their

relatives as we all walk the little streets, hand in hand. Friday in Rio: Friday is a day off for volunteers and it can

be spent relaxing in our large volunteer house, enjoying the sights of Rio, or embarking on a weekend trip away. Here

are four must-see weekend trip destinations from Rio! 1. Ilha Grande - a beautiful tropical island with amazing beaches, hiking spots, waterfalls, and no cars! Situated

around a 3 hour bus journey south of Rio, (and an hour’s ferry ride too!)

2. Paraty - a popular beach town with cobbled streets, boat trips and beach parties (make sure to stay in the beach hos-tel!)

3. Buzios - an attractive city north of Rio, recognised for its lively nightlife

and expensive shopping scene. Known as the

holiday destina-tion for Rio’s

‘elite’.

4. Salvador - “Brazil’s capital of happiness” is situated in North-eastern Brazil. You can reach Salvador, a centre for

Afro-Brazilian culture, by a short flight or an extremely long bus journey from Rio. Either way, it’s worth it and has prob-

ably been my favourite (long) weekend trip. The city is full of multi-coloured buildings, African cuisine (Salvador has the largest black population outside of Africa), outdoor par-

ties and constant (constant!!) drumming. *By Holly Ingram, currently on her year abroad. Find out more about Holly’s

full experience at http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/work-abroad/volunteer-abroad/item/2168-week-in-the-life-volunteer-rio-de-janeiro.html

From Mozambique to Belgium

My name is Pamela and I am a third-year student. I decided to study Portu-

guese because I’ve been interested in Mozambique since I was a child.

When I was younger I used to visit Mozambique often, going to the beach-es in Pemba, shopping in Maputo and

driving through Tete province. Unfortunately, I did not know the language and so my interaction was limited to my

family. Volunteering in Mozambique: Just before I began my

year abroad I decided to visit Mozambique, having studied Portuguese for two years. Because I could speak the lan-guage I was able to interact more with people around the

town I was living in, I managed to help some

of the other volunteers on the trip with asking questions and inter-

preting what was being said. The best experi-

ence was working with the children in the nursery school and the

orphanage in Inhambane, Mozambique. The kids were great, they didn’t mind that my Portuguese wasn’t always perfect

and they helped me learn new vocabulary too- like how to say ‘can you push me on the swing please?’ Portuguese and Brussels: I am currently working in pub-

lic affairs in Brussels and I still get opportunities to use my Portuguese; for example, monitoring Portuguese and Brazil-

ian media on behalf of clients; greeting Portu-

guese-speaking nationals at embassies or looking around in the Portuguese

quarter in St Gilles! *By Pamela Wilka, currently on her year abroad.

The Year Abroad: students’ testimonies

Contact us If you would like to report on or advertise a Portuguese language-related event, please contact Ana Assunção: ana.assuncao@ncl.ac.uk For information about admissions, please contact Lesley Sherrin (sml@ncl.ac.uk) or visit our website http://research.ncl.ac.uk/clpic/

Facts: 

 Portuguese  is the national and offi‐cial  language of 8 countries: Angola, Brazil,  Cape  Verde,  Guinea‐Bissau, 

Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and, East Timor.  

 Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 240 million people.  

 Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world and the third most spoken in the planet, after English and Spanish.   

 Portuguese  is the third most used  language on Facebook and the  first most  spoken  language  in  South  America,  because  of Brazil’s continental dimensions.  

 Portuguese  is  the most spoken  language  in  the Southern  hemisphere, because  of  the  Portu‐guese  speaking  African countries. 

Portuguese Language past events Professor Marco António da Silva Ramos  from São Paulo Uni‐

versity talked about the opportunities and advantages of spend‐

ing your Year Abroad or continuing your post‐graduate studies 

in Brazil. Professor  Flavio  Madureira  Heinz,  from  PUC‐RS  presented  a 

lecture entitled “Science Techniques and Politics in Brazil”. 

Professor Miguel Puga  from Universidade Nova de Lisboa pre‐

sented a  lecture entitles The British Presence  in Macau,  1635‐

1793. 

Tabu, film directed by  Miguel Gomes, at Tyneside Cinema.  

Florbela, film directed by Vicente Alves do Ó,  to celebrate  the 

Day of Portuguese Language. 

The visit of the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom. 

Regular  meetings of The Portuguese Café. 

Portuguese@Newcastle supported 4 events at  ¡Vamos! Festival 

2013. 

Learn Portuguese @ Newcastle and enjoy the Lusophone culture!

Olivia Chalmers is doing  a BA Hons in Span‐ish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies 

My  first  year  experience  of  learning  beginners 

Portuguese has been very educational, fun and 

interesting. After  just  one  semester  I  feel  that 

my  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  lan‐

guage has advanced  significantly.  I have also  learnt about  certain 

areas of Portuguese culture, whilst  learning certain differences be‐

tween Brazilian and European Portuguese. Seminars and Lab clas‐

ses are a good mixture of grammar and  vocabulary  lessons along 

with oral practice of  the  language  to  improve  speaking  skills. Alt‐

hough  certain aspects of  the  language and grammar  can be diffi‐

cult, help and feedback during lessons and on homework have been 

informative  and worthwhile.  I  also  think  that  the  resources  have 

been  helpful,  especially  the  power‐points  on  blackboard  and  the 

exercise books purchased. There are also great  social events with 

Portuguese which  involve  students,  teachers  and  native  speakers 

spending  time  together  to  have  fun  in  an  informal  atmosphere. 

These events help students meet new people whilst improving lan‐

guage  and  speaking  skills.  The  language  also  gives  students  the 

opportunity  to  go  to  either  Brazil  or  Portugal  during  their  year 

abroad  and  learn more  about  the  language  and  culture  of  both 

countries. Learning Portuguese has been a great opportunity and I 

am  looking forward to gaining more knowledge of the Portuguese 

language and culture. 

Rebecca Bennewith is doing a  BA in Combined Honours 

For me studying  languages has always been a 

way  to  explore  a  new  culture  and my  experi‐

ence of learning Portuguese in this first semes‐

ter  at Newcastle  has provided  an  opportunity 

to learn about both Brazil and Portugal. In our Portuguese seminars 

the  language  learning  is well  balanced with  an  insight  into  Luso‐

phone  culture;  the  art  of  drinking  coffee  and  Portuguese  bull‐

fighting  to  just  name  a  few. Having  studied  Spanish  before  at A 

Level I found Portuguese extremely accessible and I am progressing 

extremely quickly considering the  fact that  I hadn’t studied Portu‐

guese  before  I  started  in  Newcastle.  The  course  provides many 

great social opportunities with other students and native speakers 

to develop language skills and I have been extremely lucky this year 

due  to  the  Ciência  sem  Fronteiras  (Science  without  Borders)  pro‐

gramme  in  Brazil.  I  currently  live with  two  Brazilians  on  this  ex‐

change programme, which has  really helped with my Portuguese 

but also means that I have made international friends in Brazil who I 

hope to meet again in my year abroad. As my third year is in 2016 I 

will  hopefully  be  in  Rio  de  Janeiro  for  the Olympics  and  get  the 

amazing opportunity to volunteer as I will be able to speak English, 

Spanish and Portuguese. Studying Portuguese has turned out to be 

great fun and  is opening many opportunities for me both now and 

in the future.  

Portuguese language worldwide

My experience of first year Portuguese