In studies of T/V address forms of Brazilian Portuguese, research tends to overlook the fact that the pronominal system does not follow a symmetrical conjugation paradigm, especially for the pronoun tu ‘you, sg’. Even though most of the research acknowledges that the use of você is more salient in Brazil (Cunha & Cintra, 1985; Bechara, 1987; Ilari et al., 1996), it is assumed that the form of address tu is also used, but mainly in the south and northern regions (Ilari et al., 1996). In this paper, I will confront this claim by arguing that there is a “new” vernacular linguistic use for tu that is becoming as prominent as the use of você and its grammatical conjugation forms. For instance, instead of using the grammatically correct form tu achas ‘you think’ and tu foste ‘you went’, people are using the conjugated verb in the third person singular tu acha and tu foi. Furthermore, this use, which could be considered grammatically incorrect, is becoming widespread among native speakers of Brazilian Portuguese from different regions and social backgrounds, as this investigation suggests. This study follows the methodology of Morgan & Schwenter (2016) who examine the widespread asymmetry between singular and plural T/V forms in Castilian Spanish. However, it extends this scope by demonstrating that there is an asymmetrical conjugation paradigm in relation to the form of address tu in Brazilian Portuguese. My data consist of naturally-occurring language samples (WhatsApp messages, excerpts from reality TV shows, videos from YouTube channels), interviews with Brazilian speakers, and an online survey. In this online survey, the participants have to choose which forms of address they personally consider preferable in daily situations. Results suggest that the ‘ungrammatical’ usage of tu with the conjugation of third person singular is higher when compared to the standard grammatical form of second person singular. Moreover, this ‘novel’ usage is competing with the form of address você.

References

• Bechara, E. (1987). Moderna Gramática Portuguesa. São Paulo, SP: Nacional.
• Brown, R. & Gilman, A. (1960) [1972]. The pronouns of power and solidarity. In P.O. Giglioli (Red.), Language and social context (pp. 252-282). Harmondsworth: Penguin.
• Cunha, C. & Cintra, L. (1985). Nova gramática do português contemporâneo. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Nova Fronteira.
• Ilari, R. et al. (1996). Os pronomes pessoais do português falado: roteiro para análise. In: Castilho, A. T. & Basilio, M. (Eds.). Gramática do português falado. Vol. IV: Estudos Descritivos. Campinas, São Paulo: Editora da Unicamp.
• Morgan, T. A. & Schwenter, S. A. (2016). Vosotros, ustedes, and the myth of the symmetrical Castillian pronoun system. In A. Cuza, L. Czerwionka & D. Olson (eds), Inquiries in Hispanic Linguistics: From theory to empirical evidence. Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 12, 263-280