2025-12-162025-12-162025-10-06https://repositorio.ifal.edu.br/handle/123456789/1362The choice of Portuguese as the official language in Brazil functioned as a colonial strategy of domination, silencing or marginalizing indigenous and African languages. However, the contact among different peoples shaped Brazilian Portuguese as a distinct variety from European Portuguese. This study aims to reflect on the influences of Bantu languages in the formation of Brazilian Portuguese, analyzing vocabulary and expressions incorporated into everyday use and discussing the historical invisibility of these contributions. The research adopts a bibliographic methodology, drawing on authors such as Assis (2001), Mendonça (2012), Bagno (1999), and Bakhtin (2006), as well as glossaries that record Bantu-derived terms. The results indicate that words such as dengo, quitanda, caçula, and gingar reveal the central role of African languages in shaping Brazilian Portuguese. It is concluded that the undervaluation of these influences stems from a historical process of colonization and linguistic prejudice, reinforcing the need for a decolonial approach in mother tongue teaching and in the appreciation of national linguistic identity.ptAttribution-NoDerivs 3.0 BrazilLetras - PortuguêsPortuguês brasileiroLínguas africanasPovos bantuPreconceito linguísticoDecolonialidadeBrazilian PortugueseAfrican languagesBantu peopleslinguistic prejudiceDecolonialityTrabalho de Conclusão de CursoLINGUISTICA, LETRAS E ARTES::LETRAS