103/99/M.Įven so, with increasing interaction between education administrators, civil servants and instructors in Macao and the Portuguese-speaking countries, it is likely that many in Macao feel the need to use AO1990 for email, printed brochures, agreements and training materials written in Portuguese for parties outside Macao. The Macao SAR Government continues to follow AO1945, as provided for by Decree-Law No.
Portuguese spelling examples AO1945 (pre-reform)īefore Chinese rule resumed in Macao in 1999, the Portuguese administration of the city followed AO1945.
Each form is intelligible to users of the other. The 1945 form is known as AO1945 and the 1990 version as AO1990, AO being the Portuguese acronym for ‘ acordo ortográfico’, or orthographic agreement. Two spelling forms co-exist: one form follows a 1945 accord while the newest form, set by the 1990 agreement, is meant to replace the 1945 form. A 1990 agreement to standardise the spelling of words in all Portuguese-speaking countries has begun to be followed more widely by entities that include the Government of Portugal.
Portuguese orthography has undergone significant changes in recent years. It is little wonder that every day a tremendous amount of written material is produced in Macao using Portuguese. Macao has long positioned itself as a platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, and Portuguese is an official language of the Macao SAR.