Some peculiarities of Portuguese and Tetum and the Learning Portuguese in Timor-Leste

Abstract

This paper looks at the differences between Portuguese and Tetum as factors that make it difficult for students to learn Portuguese. The two languages are co-official in East Timor. They are defined in the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor (RDTL) and the Basic Education Law as teaching languages. In most schools, Tetum serves as an aid in the teaching-learning process. At the National University of Timor Lorosa'e, more specifically in the Department of Portuguese Language Teaching (DELP), classes are taught in Portuguese, and the students who attend find it very difficult to learn and apply it in class, in terms of speaking and writing with many deviations from the norm. The question is why most DELP students have difficulty learning Portuguese, even though there are many facilities, such as teaching materials or other means of learning. The reality shows that the peculiar characteristics of each language, i.e., Tetum language or another mother tongue that the student has, influence the Portuguese language, corroborating the fact that at this level of schooling, when the student should already be at the operationalization stage - which consists of ensuring the broadening of linguistic competence - the students are still at the familiarization stage, which does not allow the student to create conditions for the initiation of literary appreciation.