Word of the Day

Friday, July 18, 2008

Regional differences in Brazil

I've just come back from a five-day trip to Rio and I've gathered, to nobody's amazement, a few linguistic gems that show the differences between our speech in São Paulo and the Wonderful City (I shall not talk about accents here).

In São Paulo when you go to a store, they sometimes offer you a sacola (bag), in Rio they offered me a bolsa (which to me is more like a handbag or a purse).
In São Paulo you desce do ônibus (get off the bus). In Rio you salta do ônibus (jump off the bus).
In São Paulo the guy who takes your fare on the bus is called cobrador. In Rio, it's trocador.
In São Paulo lifeguards are salva-vidas. In Rio they are guarda-vidas.
In São Paulo we hardly ever say biscoito, which they do in Rio. We say bolacha (crackers).
In São Paulo when we go out at night, we go to balada, in Rio they go to the night.
In São Paulo we eat mandioca (manioc or cassava). In Rio they eat aipim.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No Rio, também se vai à balada. Mas também dizem night e outras coisas. Ou simplesmente "sair".

Cobrador é até melhor, já que nem sempre é necessário trocar o dinheiro...