Elisabela Larrea’s “Unchinho di Língu Maquista: Patuá Bit by Bit: Flashcard Book” is slated to be launched next Saturday at the Tap Seac Multi-Sports Pavilion at 2:30 p.m., with the event being part of the Spring Book Fair 2024.
Patuá is a Portuguese-Asian Creole originally spoken by the Macanese community. Considered a “critically endangered” language by UNESCO, its vocabulary includes Portuguese, Cantonese, Malay, Indian, Japanese and English words. The Portuguese-Asian Creole is estimated by linguists to still have several dozen speakers in Macau and several hundred in Hong Kong and the diaspora.
Larrea is a member of Macau’s Macanese community, estimated to account for about 1.5 percent of the local population.
Customarily, the term “Macanese” denotes Macau residents of mixed Portuguese and Asian extraction, as well as Macanese living in Hong Kong and overseas. Major Macanese diaspora communities live in North America, Brazil, Australia and Portugal.
Larrea’s book will be published by the International Institute of Macau (IIM), which will also co-organise next Saturday’s launch event, according to a statement provided by the institute yesterday. The statement noted that the book will feature translations in Chinese, Portuguese and English, illustrations, and QR codes to social media platforms such as YouTube Facebook and Instagram for audiovisual learning.
The first flashcards introducing Patua vocabulary in Chinese, Portuguese and English was launched in 2016, with the various cards now compiled in the book. The statement said that the book’s main objective is to provide a way of learning Patuá through simple illustrations and in the three languages.
The statement said that Larrea, who will deliver a presentation during the launch event, holds a PhD in Communication and is a researcher of Macanese culture, adding that she has dedicated herself to preserving and promoting Macanese culture through art, documentaries, films, public lectures and academic research since 2004.
