It seems certain that, one day, Brazil will make the Brazilian language official, since time inevitably particularizes the language spoken in different lands, making idiomatic unity increasingly difficult. There are, in this, many plausible reasons and many mistakes. The first of these is the assumption that a language must have a “unity”, that is, it must be spoken in the same way unanimously. It is laughable to think that, if such a Brazilian language becomes official, it will not be susceptible to the same regional variations and the same evolutionary processes that all widely spoken languages have undergone and will undergo. One has to be very ignorant to suppose that some pens will guide the language spoken in the streets, when it is this that, ultimately, guides the grammars. Stupid measures like this latest orthographic agreement only make it more evident. On the other hand, it is understandable and even natural that a nation long for an authentic expression. But one must be very careful to distinguish to what extent this authenticity represents a necessary evolution, rather than a sudden break with the roots that allowed it to evolve.
It Seems Certain That, One Day, Brazil Will Make…
