Did you know that Brazilian Portuguese is the most similar to Spanish?
Although they are sister languages, Brazilians hardly speak Spanish.
Check out what the Spanish language in Brazil is like!
Spanish in Brazil
Brazil is a South American country that, despite being surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries, speaks almost no Spanish. The reasons for the lack of Spanish in Brazil are unknown to most foreigners. You must visit them and talk in confidence to understand.
Similar languages
Brazilian Spanish and Portuguese are similar languages. Indeed, both originated in the Iberian Peninsula and descended from Vulgar Latin.
High level of understanding
It´s very easy for a Spanish speaker and a Portuguese speaker to achieve a high level of understanding of each other. Certainly, the pronunciation is different, but they can understand each other even if they don´t speak the other’s language.
4% of the population is Spanish-speaking
In Brazil, 4% of the population is Spanish-speaking. In numbers that would be about 8.4 million people. Of course, this doesn´t compare to the remaining 96% who don´t speak Spanish.
The truth is the Brazilian population prefers to learn English for business and study reasons. That is why English is the only foreign language that surpasses Spanish with 7% of speakers.
Brazilians don´t speak Spanish
Most Brazilians don´t speak Spanish because of old disputes dating back to colonial times. It could be a kind of rivalry inherited from their ancestors by the Portuguese colonizers.
Brazilian vs Portuguese
The Brazilian vs Portuguese story is similar to that of Spanish vs Latin American. The mother tongue came through the colonizers and was modified over time.
Experience tells us that while the mother tongue has a lot of richness, the daughter languages are not far behind. Indeed, it´s a history inherited from Latin, being Classical Latin different from Vulgar Latin (the father of Romance languages).
It seems that the original Spanish and Portuguese characterized by the customs of their peoples. Generally, they were people from cold but passionate regions. Moreover, the spice added by the indigenous and African cultures gave rise to the Latin American Spanish and Portuguese so different from warmer cultures.
Main differences
- Brazilian spelling is different from that of other Portuguese-speaking countries.
- There are spelling differences between the different regions of Brazil.
- In areas of Brazil where there is a larger white population, the accent is more similar to that of Portugal.
- Portuguese, Italian, and German influence the main Brazilian accent.
- Although in 1990 the Orthographic Agreement was implemented, Brazil and Portugal still have some linguistic differences.
- Brazil has its own sign language, known as Libras, with official status at the federal level.
How many languages are spoken in Brazil
Brazil is a tropical paradise where a large number of tourists from all over the world converge. It would be impossible for them to speak only Brazilian. So let’s see how many languages are spoken in Brazil.
Official
- Brazilian Portuguese
National
- Portuguese – 98%
Significant
- English – 7%
- Spanish – 4%
- Hungarian – 1,5%
Immigrant
- German
- Italian
- Polish
- Ukrainian
- Russian
- Japanese
- Spanish
- English
- Chinese
Foreign
- English
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Italian
The Hispanic population in Brazil
The Hispanic population in Brazil dates from 1880 onwards. Unfavorable socio-political and economic situations in Europe led them to these new lands.
It´s no secret that Latin America welcomed Europeans warmly. Especially those who arrived laden with dreams and hopes.
And a good part of that population settled in Brazil. Unlike the majority that chose Spanish-speaking countries, such as Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, and the rest of the countries. Let’s take a look at where exactly these Spaniards who settled in Brazil came from.
- Andalusians
- Aragonese
- Asturian (including Vaqueiros de Alzada )
- Balearic
- Basques
- Canary Islanders (including Islanders)
- Cantabrians
- Castilians
- Catalans
- Creoles
- Extremaduran
- Galicians
- Leonés
- Valencian
- Berbers
- Gypsies (including Quinquis)
- Maghrebi
- Sephardic (including Xuetas)
More than 700,000 people emigrated from Spain to Brazil between 1880 and 1930. But a 1940 census indicated that only 74,000 people spoke Spanish. It seems that the majority of Spanish speakers choose to adopt Portuguese.
Overcoming barriers
The best way to live is by overcoming barriers that prevent us from growing. Many times those barriers are only in our minds, those old limiting beliefs.
They come in the form of resentment, resentment, anger, envy, or jealousy. In short, everything that stuck us from existing in harmony with our fellow human beings.
At the linguistic level, there are also barriers. An example is the current situation of Spanish in Brazil. If it remained stagnant for so many centuries, it´s now overcoming the barriers to allow it to grow much more.
Being big is not just a question of size or physical dimensions but of having a big heart. You must understand that we always need others, whether a person or a country. To value those we have around us, those who day by day show us their unconditional love.
Do we have to wait until the last day of life to learn to value? Do we need to lose what we have to begin to appreciate it?
Don’t be one more on the list. Overcome your self barriers and keep growing your Spanish skills!