Languages Spoken In Brazil: A Quick Overview

Brazil is a beautiful country with a rich heritage and a vibrant way of living, known for nurturing many global cultures. Being the largest and most popular country in Latin America it has diverse religions, sports, cultures, and a lush Amazon rainforest. But you know another diverse thing about Brazil: it’s the impressive array of Brazilian languages. It’s amazing to learn what languages do they speak in Brazil. And as languages help us connect with people and express ourselves, Brazil has amazing stories about its natives and languages acquired over time.

But do you know how many languages are spoken in Brazil? In this multi-linguistic country of Latin America, around 228 languages are spoken. So let’s explore together this wide range of Brazilian languages!

1. Brazilian Portuguese: The Official Language of Brazil

Ola amigos! Do you know the official language of Brazil is Brazilian Portuguese? The Portuguese colonizers brought it in the 16th century in Brazil and is one of the most popular languages. And now recognized as a national language, it has come a long way. Around 97.9 % of the population speak Portuguese as their primary language. Putting to use in their day-to-day lives and for official purposes.

Brazil is the only predominant Portuguese-speaking country in Latin America. But, there are a lot of differences between the Portuguese spoken in Brazil and Europe.

Europeans and their cultures inspired Brazilian Portuguese. However, it acquired different accent, grammatical and orthographic characteristics. In the 1800s, there was a massive increase in the number of Brazilian Portuguese speakers. Even though it’s spoken in most regions, Portuguese speakers predominantly live in Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro Goias, and Sao Paulo.

Around 203 million inhabitants are living in the Brazilian diaspora. And is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the entire South American continent. Apart from Brazil, the Portuguese language is also spoken in other countries such as Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, and East Timor. This makes Portuguese, the sixth most spoken language in the world!

Now learning Portuguese should be your top priority if you plan on visiting this vibrant country of Brazil.

What Language Do They Speak in Brazil? — Image by Julian Hacker from Pixabay copyright 2019

2. Other Popular Languages

But, when you tour the streets of Brazil you’ll find, people here have their own primary and first language. It comes from their ancestors and dates back to colonial times when massive immigration took place.

2.1 Brazilian German: The Co-Official Language of Brazil

It is astonishing to know that Brazil has its fair share and touch of the German language, known as Brazilian German.

German is one of the European languages and the second most spoken language in Brazil. In the 19th century, the German immigrants chose to settle in the states of Santa Catarina, Paraña, Río de Janeiro, Sau Poloa and Río Grande do Sul. With most of them living in Brazil’s South and Southeast regions. And continued practising German as their main language, with a blend of German dialects and Brazilian lingo. It’s interesting to know, the unique music, food, and architecture of Southern Brazil were influenced by German tradition.

The Brazilian municipalities have now recognized Germanic East Pomeranian and Brazilian Hunsrückisch as co-official languages besides Portuguese in their towns.

About two-thirds of children from German immigrated families speak German as their mother tongue. But many dialect differences between European German and Brazilian German still exist, making it a unique part of Brazilian culture.

With failed revolts and revolutions during Europeanisation. As a result, around 7 million people emigrated to other parts of the world. And a small number started settling in Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil. And now Brazil’s stunning southern part is known as Greater Germany, how ironic it is!

2.2 Italian Language in Brazil

In the colonial era of the 20th century, Italian immigration led people to adopt Italian. As their co-official language in their daily life. Again one of the most spoken languages in European countries. Italian in Brazil is conceived as the third most spoken language, with its interesting variations and dialects.

Italians immigrated to Brazil during the late 19th century, with the goal of agricultural ventures and economic opportunities in Brazil.

The Italian immigrants majorly populated the Southeastern part of Brazil, especially Rio Grande Sul and other regions. It is quite fascinating to know the vineyards present in Brazil, we owe to the Italians. In many areas, Italian dialects have influenced Brazilian Portuguese. Beautifully reflected in the music and pop cultures of Brazil like Samba Paulista, a variation of samba dance inspired by Italian culture.

The robust culture of Italian Immigrants continues to be a legacy in Brazil with its unique culture and dialects, still in practice.

Also check out: https://icytales.com/the-6-classical-languages-of-india/

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3. Minority Languages in Brazil

Brazil is also home to several minority languages, such as Spanish, French, English, Japanese, and many more.

3.1 Spanish

Around 460,000 of the total population of Brazilians speak Spanish, a minority language as their means of communication. Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian Spanish closely resemble each other. Spanish Speaking regions are closer to the borders of business. Here you have a rough mixture of Portuguese and Spanish. Known as Portunal, to communicate with their neighbours. Brazil is a well-known Spanish-speaking country with magnificent historical ties. Some of the other Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America are Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Colombia Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

The presence of Spanish can be traced back to the era of colonization and immigration in Brazil. As a result, Spanish speakers are found closer to Brazil’s border. Within the vicinity of other Latin American countries.

Clusters of Spanish-speaking immigrants are mostly found in Sau Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. And if you live there learning Spanish is a must for you!

Spanish is a popular language worldwide. Therefore brings a lot of economic attractions and lucrative deals to this country. Like other European languages, Spanish has left an indelible mark on Brazilian culture. Gracefully blending tango, salsa, and cumbia with Brazilian art and music tradition.

3.2 French

French is one of the most popular languages, and its romantic significance is known to everyone. It turns out French is also spreading its love and magic in some regions of Brazil. Again a direct influence of European immigration to Brazil. It is widely spoken by 30,000 French people residing in Brazil, especially in Sau Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It is one of the minority languages spoken in Brazil that many visitors are not aware of.

Brazilian citizens in colonies with partial French ancestry are known as French Brazilians or (Franco-Brasileiro or Galo Brasileiro).

Also interesting to know that one of the first Latin American countries where the French came was Brazil, which during that time, competed with the Portuguese in the 16th century.

3.3 Japanese

Konichiwa!! are you surprised to see the Japanese language in your quest to learn the languages of Brazil? Well don’t be, Brazil in modern times is home to many Japanese immigrants. The Japanese-speaking population belongs to the Sao Paulo region where most Japanese expats live. Japanese natives make up around 1.5 million total population in Brazil. And many generations living here have adopted Portuguese in their daily lives and treat them as their own.

The integration of Portuguese and Japanese is often evident in their modern lifestyles. Such is the assimilation of cultures that the Japanese have a newspaper called the São Paulo Shimbun. The newspaper started in the 1940s in the Sao Paulo region. The descendants of these Japanese Immigrants are known as Nikkei. And forms a strong community in Brazil with Japanese cultural ties.

Japanese culture is now an integral part of Brazilian culture. Especially in its cuisines, such as tempura and Sushi. The Japanese spoken in Brazil today has a touch of different Japanese dialects. Since the immigrants came from different regions of Japan. They are now influenced by the Portuguese language too.

3.4 English

Brazilians are not very fluent in speaking English, however as one of the widely spoken languages it makes up 5% or 10 million of the total population of Brazil. Although a global language, educated middle-class citizens and popular tourist spots are fluent in speaking English. Majorly it is taught in schools and by private tutors, but not spoken as a primary language in households.

4. Popular Indigenous Languages of Brazil

Before the Europeans arrived in Brazil in 1500, it was home to a large population of Amerindian natives. And Brazilian people used to speak a ton of different dialects languages with their connection to Indians.

Brazil is home to many indigenous groups with their unique languages and proud heritage. Which contributes to the current linguistic tapestry of Brazil. But, several indigenous languages are now reduced to only 274 languages, as per the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.

These Indigenous languages are classified into two trunks of languages. Namely, the Tupi and Macro Je family languages. And both these trunks have their differences and similarities.

What Languages Do They Speak In Brazil — Photo by Emanuel Tadeu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-red-and-white-power-ranger-costume-9211780/ copyright 2019

4.1 Tupi

Tupi consists of language families including Tupi Guarani, Tupari Juruna, Munduruku, and Ramarana. It is spoken in other South American countries like Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia Paraguay, Argentina, and French Guiana.

4.1.1 Tupian and Tupi Guaraní

It is a language group influenced by Brazilian place name expressions. Credited for adding tons of new words, phrases, and expressions to Brazilian Portuguese. Often used as a native language before the Europeans colonized Brazil.

Tupian language soon became a point of contact or lingua francua. The Portuguese merchants, missionaries, and Indians used it for administrative purposes. Until the 19th century, it was a widely spoken language in the Amazon rainforest and Western Brazil.

4.2 Marco Je

Marco je is one of the trunks of indigenous languages. Consisting of five genetic families including Je Botocudo, Bororo Karajá, and Maxakalí. With other four languages: Ofayé, Rikbaktsá, Guató, and Fulniô.

It is a medium-sized language family in Latin America. mostly spoken in parts of Brazil and the regions of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Also spoken in smaller parts of Paraguay and Argentina. Since 1926, Macro je has gone through several changes and it’s currently on the brink of extinction.

4.2.1 Kaingang

Kaingang is a part of the Je family language, the largest of Marco Je groups of languages. There are around 22,000 speakers in Southern Brazil. With most belonging to the Kiangang nation. Apart from these, certain isolated and unclassified sets of indigenous languages are there. Such as Tikona, Kaiowá, Xavante, and Yanomami

4.3 Yanomami

Yanomami does not have any relations with language families. And Brazil Shelters around 12700 Yanomami speakers. This is one of the indigenous languages, believed to have no written form in its native language.

The native speakers usually include South American Indians. And is popularly used in the remote forest of the Orinoco River basin, lying in the northern Amazon and southern part of Venezuela. The phonological difference between nasal and oral vowels in Yanomami is a unique trait.

4.4 Tikona

When it comes to indigenous tongues, Tikona is recognized as one of the languages spoken in Brazil by the indigenous population.

Around 6.8% of the total indigenous population speaks Tikona. The preservation of Tikona was possible because it was in a location away from the European settlers. It is a native language in parts of South America such as Brazil, Perú, and Columbia. The script of Tikona is Latin and currently consists of 35000 native speakers in Brazil.

Interestingly, Tikona also has written education and literature texts. The teachers use it to train Tikona and Portuguese students. It is worth appreciating how communities and administrations come together. To preserve and celebrate linguistic diversity in their curriculum.

5. Brazillian Sign Language

5.1 Libras

Brazil is a compassionate and thoughtful place with five million deaf people living here. And to make everyone feel included, just like American sign languages, Brazil too has regionalism and signs within its unique sign language called LIBRAS.

In Brazil, it’s known as Língua Brasileira de Sinais and differs in syntax, grammar, and morphology. It is a well-established and recognized language in Brazil. The available learning resources for LIBRAS include videos, books, and dictionaries. Additionally, Brazilian sign language has diverse dialects, reflecting socio-cultural differences across regions. Brazil’s urban deaf communities use this sign language for daily communication.

Brazil has a rich history of distinct languages. But due to Europeanisation, the old indigenous languages gradually faced a decline. This happened at the hands of the Native-speaking population.

In 1980, Brazil witnessed great development in the field of languages. With authorities taking the initiative to train teachers and students, through relevant programs and acquaint them with other languages.

Conclusion

Brazil has walked us through some of the rich linguistic diversity in the world. It welcomed the influence of foreign languages and preserved and embraced them. The next time you are visiting Brazil, don’t forget to learn one of these Brazilian languages, along with its rich captivating history and beautiful stories.

Last Updated on February 11, 2024 by Icy Tales Team