Surrounded by many countries, the majority of which speak dialects of Spanish, Brazil is unusual in that it is the only Portuguese-speaking country within the entirety of the Americas.

The vast majority of the country’s 210 million people speaks a dialect of Portuguese – simply known as Brazilian Portuguese – as a first language.

Brazil & Languages

A wide range of other languages are used within the country, which is not surprising as Brazil is a rather multicultural country that covers a vast land area. The list of languages that are spoken includes many indigenous languages. In addition, although many people emigrated to Brazil from Portugal, a great deal also settled in the country from other European countries, bringing with them a wide range of other minority languages, including German and Italian.

Spoken by 99 percent of the population, Brazilian Portuguese is by far the majority language in Brazil. It is used in almost all schools and media outlets in the country, as well as in government, administrative and business settings.

Why Do Brazilians Speak Portuguese and not Spanish?

Although most of South America was colonized by the Spanish, the Portuguese colonized Brazil in the 1500s. During this time, most Brazilians spoke a language called Tupi. The Portuguese banned Tupi in the mid-1700s, however, many of these words made their way into Brazilian Portuguese.

However, this is just the short answer as the real story is much longer and more complex. When Pedro Álvares Cabral reached the Brazilian coast on April 22nd, 1500, there was more than 1,200 native indigenous spoken languages. Until the mid-18th century, Portuguese was spoken only in the coastal areas.

In 1757, a law was passed, called the Directory of the Indians’ (Diretório dos índios’) which prohibited the natives from speaking/learning their mother tongue and established Portuguese as the one and only language of Brazil.

By the year 2000, only about 170 indigenous languages have survived, mostly in the most remote places of the Amazon rainforest.

Brazilian vs European Portuguese

The Portuguese spoken in Brazil today is markedly different from that spoken in Portugal. The vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation differs significantly, and the difference is greater than the one between British and American English.

Both Brazil and Portugal have undergone spelling reforms since the 16th Century, and the pronunciation and meaning of many of the words have changed so much that it is sometimes easier for Brazilian people to understand the Spanish that is spoken in Latin American countries than the language of Portugal. Furthermore, some of the grammar structures are rather different in both countries.

Some linguists say the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese are so huge that Brazilian Portuguese shouldn’t even be called Portuguese but instead Brazilian.

Immigrants from other European countries – in particular Spain, Italy and Germany – and from Asian countries such as Japan, have added many loanwords to the Brazilian Portuguese dictionary that would confuse a native speaker in Portugal.

It is also estimated that over a thousand words and phrases have entered Brazilian Portuguese from the many indigenous languages that already existed before the Portuguese merchants settled in South America, thereby influencing the language so that it diverges even further from standard Portuguese.

These include the name for indigenous flora and fauna, as well as many place names and natural features in Brazil.

Minority Languages & Brazil

There are many minority languages which are spoken in Brazil alongside Portuguese. According to the 2010 Census, 274 of these are spoken by indigenous peoples, who often reside in remote rainforest areas across the northern half of the country.

The largest languages are Tikuna, with 35,000 speakers, Guarani Kaiowá (spoken by 26,500 people) and Kaingang (with 22,000 speakers). Moreover, a total of nine indigenous languages are spoken by more than 10,000 people. Some of these are protected by the Brazilian government – for example, Tikuna was used by governmental campaigns for the prevention of AIDS and violence against women.

Tikuna is also taught to children in their local community alongside Brazilian Portuguese. However, despite these efforts, many of the indigenous languages are on the verge of extinction, and it is estimated that a third may die out by 2030.

The Spanish Language in Brazil

In terms of European languages, Spanish is – perhaps surprisingly – spoken by only 460,000 people in the country. This is because many Spanish immigrants largely assimilated when they emigrated to Brazil, and their children mainly lost the native tongue of their parents.

This is perhaps understandable because – even though there are marked differences between Spanish and Portuguese – the two languages are fairly similar to one another, making picking up Portuguese easier for a Spanish person than it would be for someone from Germany.

In the areas of Brazil that border Spanish-speaking countries (which is almost the entire border), a pidgin language called ‘Portunhol’ has emerged, which more or less blends the two languages together.

More commonly spoken languages that were brought in by Europeans include German and Italian – generally concentrated in the southern and south-eastern parts of the country, dialects of these languages are spoken quite widely. Three-million Brazilians speak a German dialect named ‘Hunsrik’, whereas 1-million speak a variation of Italian that is referred to as ‘Brazilian Venetian’.

Hunsrik is the second-most spoken first language in Brazil, with some municipalities in the extreme south of the country recognizing both the German dialect and Brazilian Portuguese as official languages in local areas.

Other minority languages include Japanese, with a small but close-knit Japanese community being located in São Paulo, as well as other small communities that speak a number of other languages including Catalan, Polish and Dutch.

Bottom Line

Although the vast majority of Brazilian people speak Portuguese, it is important to acknowledge that there is a wide range of minority languages spoken throughout the country.

Although a small minority do not speak Brazilian Portuguese, or have a limited understanding of it, many speakers of the minority languages speak Portuguese alongside their own language. The wide range of other languages used within the country only emphasizes that Brazil is a rather multicultural nation.

Valentina is a guide for Pedal Chile and is our geology expert. Valentina has been in love with geology ever since she first saw Villarrica glowing in her native country of Chile. Valentina was born and raised in La Patagonia, which probably explains her affinity for adventuring. When Valentina isn’t crushing some poor dude’s soul, you can find her shredding down Rucapillán. Favorite season: Austral Summer

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References and Sources

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