Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

São Gabriel da Cachoeira São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro (Amazon), Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Ca ...

German dialects German dialects are the various traditional local varieties of the German language. Though varied by region, those of the southern half of Germany beneath the Benrath line are dominated by the geographical spread of the High German consonant s ...

Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoken Germanic language, ...

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

Brazilian Sign Language Brazilian Sign Language ( ) is the sign language used by deaf communities of Brazil. It is commonly known in short as Libras (). Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) is a well-established language and legally recognized.arrived in 1500, what is now Brazil was inhabited by several Amerindian peoples that spoke many different languages. According to Aryon Dall'Igna Rodrigues there were six million Indians in Brazil speaking over 1,000 different languages. When the Portuguese settlers arrived, they encountered the Tupi people, who dominated most of the Brazilian coast and spoke a set of closely related languages. The Tupi called the non-Tupi peoples "Tapuias", a designation that the Portuguese adopted; however, there was little unity among the diverse Tapuia tribes other than their not being Tupi. In the first two centuries of colonization, a language based on

Tupian languages The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani. Homeland and ''urheimat'' Rodrigues (2007) considers the Proto-Tupian urheimat to be somewhere betwee ...

known as Língua Geral ("General Language") was widely spoken in the colony, not only by the Amerindians, but also by the Portuguese settlers, the Africans and their descendants. This language was spoken in a vast area from

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

to

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

, as an informal language for domestic use, while Portuguese was the language used for public purposes. Língua Geral was spread by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionaries and Bandeirantes to other areas of Brazil where the Tupi language was not spoken. In 1775, the Marquis of Pombal prohibited the use of Língua Geral or any other indigenous language an areas where the Tupi people were not present. However, before that prohibition, the Portuguese language was dominant in Brazil. Most of the other Amerindian languages gradually disappeared as the populations that spoke them were integrated or decimated when the Portuguese-speaking population expanded to most of Brazil. The several African languages spoken in Brazil also disappeared. Since the 20th century there are no more records of speakers of African languages in the country. However, in some isolated communities settled by escaped slaves (

Quilombo A ''quilombo'' (); from the Kimbundu word , ) is a Brazilian hinterland town, settlement founded by people of Afro-Brazilians, African origin, and others sometimes called Carabali. Most of the inhabitants of quilombos, called quilombolas, were ...

), the Portuguese language spoken by its inhabitants still preserves some

lexicon A lexicon (plural: lexicons, rarely lexica) is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word () ...

of African origin, which is not understood by other Brazilians. Due to the contact with several European, Amerindian and African languages, the Portuguese spoken in Brazil absorbed many influences from these languages, which led to a notable differentiation from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal. Examples of widely used words of Tupi origin in Brazilian Portuguese include ''abacaxi'' ("pineapple"), ''pipoca'' ("popcorn"), ''catapora'' (" chickenpox"), and ''siri'' ("crab"). The names of thirteen of Brazil's twenty six states also have Amerindian origin. Starting in the early 19th century, Brazil started to receive substantial immigration of non-Portuguese-speaking people from Europe and Asia. Most immigrants, particularly Italians and Spaniards, adopted the Portuguese language after a few generations. Other immigrants, particularly Germans, Japanese, Poles and Ukrainians, preserved their languages for more generations. German-speaking immigrants started arriving in 1824. They came not only from Germany, but also from other countries that had a substantial German-speaking population (

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

( Volga Germans). During over 100 years of continuous emigration, it is estimated that some 300,000 German-speaking immigrants settled in Brazil. Italian immigration started in 1875 and about 1.5 million Italians immigrated to Brazil until World War II. They spoke several dialects from Italy. Other sources of immigration to Brazil included Spaniards, Poles, Ukrainians, Japanese and Middle-easterns. With the notable exception of the Germans, who preserved their language for several generations, and in some degree the Japanese,

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

,

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

,

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, Kurds and

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

, most of the immigrants in Brazil adopted Portuguese as their mother tongue after a few generations.

Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (; ; also known as pt-BR) is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of Portuguese language native to Brazil. It is spoken by almost all of the 203 million inhabitants of Brazil and widely across the Brazilian diaspora ...

is the official language of Brazil and the primary language used in most schools and media. It is also used for all business and administrative purposes. Brazilian Portuguese has had its own development, influenced by the other European languages such as Italian and German in the South and Southeast, and several indigenous languages all across the country. For this reason, Brazilian Portuguese differs noticeably from

European Portuguese European Portuguese (, ), also known as Lusitanian Portuguese () or as the Portuguese (language) of Portugal (), refers to the dialects of the Portuguese language spoken in Portugal. The word "European" was chosen to avoid the clash of "Portugues ...

and other dialects of

Portuguese-speaking countries The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (; : CPLP), also known as the Lusophone Commonwealth or Lusophone Community (), is an international organization and political organisation, political association of Lusophone nations across four co ...

, even though they are all

mutually intelligible In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between different but related language varieties in which speakers of the different varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. Mutual intellig ...

. Such differences occur in

phonetics Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds or, in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians ...

and lexicon and have been compared to the differences between

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

and

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

.

Brazilian Sign Language

The Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) is the

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

used by deaf people in Brazilian urban centers and legally recognized as a means of communication and expression.Lei nº 10.436, de 24 de abril de 2002
— Dispõe sobre a Língua Brasileira de Sinais - Libras e dá outras providências.
— Regulamenta a Lei no 10.436, de 24 de abril de 2002, que dispõe sobre a Língua Brasileira de Sinais - Libras, e o art. 18 da Lei no 10.098, de 19 de dezembro de 2000. It is derived both from an autochthonous sign language, which is native to the region or territory in which it lives, and from

French sign language French Sign Language (, LSF) is the sign language of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in France and in French-speaking parts of Switzerland. According to ''Ethnologue'', it has 100,000 native signers. French Sign Language is related and part ...

; therefore, it is similar to other European and American sign languages. Libras is not the simple sign language of the Portuguese language, but a separate language, as evidenced by the fact that in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

a different sign language is used,

Portuguese Sign Language Portuguese Sign language () is a sign language used mainly by deaf people in Portugal. It is recognized in the present Constitution of Portugal. It was significantly influenced by Swedish Sign Language, through a deaf education, school for the De ...

(LGP). Like the various existing natural and human languages, it is composed of linguistic levels such as:

phonology Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often pre ...

, morphology,

syntax In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituenc ...

and

semantics Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

. Just as in oral-auditory languages there are words, in sign languages there are also lexical items, which are called signs. The difference is its modality of articulation, namely visual-spatial, or kinesic-visual, for others. Therefore, to communicate in Libras, it is not enough just to know signs. It is necessary to know your grammar to combine sentences, establishing communication correctly, avoiding the use of "signaled Portuguese". Signals arise from the combination of

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

configurations, movements, and points of articulation — places in space or on the body where signals are made — and also from facial and body expressions that convey the feelings that are conveyed to listeners by voice intonation, which together make up the basic units of this language.UNIP Interativa LIBRAS
- Thus, Libras presents itself as a linguistic system for the transmission of ideas and facts, coming from communities of deaf people in Brazil. As with any language, there are also regional differences in Libras. Therefore, attention should be paid to its variations in each federative unit of Brazil. In addition to being recognized nationally since 2002, Libras has also been made official at the municipal level in

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

,

Ouro Preto Ouro Preto (, ), formerly Vila Rica (, ), is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The city, a former Brazilian Gold Rush, colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, was designated a ...

and Salvador. In

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, the teaching of Libras was made official in the curriculum of the municipal school system. April 24 was made official as the National Day of Brazilian Sign Language.

Minority languages

Despite the fact that Portuguese is the official language of Brazil and the vast majority of Brazilians speak only Portuguese, there are several other languages spoken in the country. According to the president of

IBGE The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil. IBGE performs a decennial national cen ...

(Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) there are an estimated 210 languages spoken in Brazil. 154 are Amerindian languages, while the others are languages brought by immigrants. The 1950 census was the last one to ask Brazilians which language they speak at home. Since then, the census does not ask about language. However, the census of 2010 asked respondents which languages they speak, allowing a better analysis of the languages spoken in Brazil. The first municipality to co-officialize other languages alongside Portuguese was

São Gabriel da Cachoeira São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro (Amazon), Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Ca ...

, in the state of Amazonas, with the languages Nheengatu, Tukano and Baniwa. Since then, other Brazilian municipalities have co-officialized other languages.

Immigrant languages

European immigrant languages

According to the 1940 census, after Portuguese, German was the most widely spoken language in Brazil. Although the Italian immigration to Brazil was much more significant than the German one, the German language had many more speakers than the Italian one, according to the census. The census revealed that two-thirds of the children of German immigrants spoke German at home. In comparison, half of the children of

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

spoke Portuguese at home. The stronger preservation of the German language when compared to the Italian one has many factors: Italian is closer to Portuguese than German, leading to a faster assimilation of the Italian speakers. Also, the German immigrants used to educate their children in German schools. The Italians, on the other hand, had less organized ethnic schools and the cultural formation was centered in church, not in schools. Most of the children of Italians went to public schools, where Portuguese was spoken. Until World War II, some 1.5 million Italians had immigrated to Brazil, compared to only 250,000 Germans. However, the 1940 census revealed that German was spoken as a home language by 644,458 people, compared to only 458,054 speakers of Italian.

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

, who formed the third largest immigrant group in Brazil (after the Portuguese and Italians) were also quickly assimilated into the Portuguese-speaking majority. Spanish is similar to Portuguese, which led to a fast assimilation. Moreover, many of the Spanish immigrants were from Galicia, where they also speak Galician, which is closer to Portuguese, sometimes even being considered two dialects of the same language. Despite the large influx of Spanish immigrants to Brazil from 1880 to 1930 (over 700,000 people) the census of 1940 revealed that only 74,000 people spoke Spanish in Brazil. Other languages such as Polish and Ukrainian, along with German and Italian, are spoken in rural areas of Southern Brazil, by small communities of descendants of immigrants, who are for the most part bilingual. There are whole regions in southern Brazil where people speak both Portuguese and one or more of these languages. For example, it is reported that more than 90% of the residents of the small city of Presidente Lucena, located in the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, speak Hunsrik, a language derived from the ''Hunsrückisch'' dialect of German. Hunsrik, or ''Riograndenser Hunsrückisch'', has around 3,000,000 Hunsrik, Ethnologue (2016). native speakers in Brazil, while also having some speakers in Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela. The language is most used in the countryside of the South Region states of Brazil, with a considerable amount of native speakers using it as their main or even only language. Some immigrant communities in southern Brazil, chiefly the German and the Italian ones, have lasted long enough to develop distinctive dialects from their original European sources. For example,

Brazilian German The languages spoken by German Brazilians, High German and Low German, together form a significant minority language in Brazil. "Brazilian German" is strongly influenced by Portuguese and to a lesser extent by Italian dialects as well as ...

, a broad category which includes the Hunsrik language, but also East Pomerian and

Plautdietsch Plautdietsch () or Mennonite Low German is a Low Prussian dialect of East Low German with Dutch influence that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia. The word ''Plautdietsch'' translates to "fl ...

dialects. In the Serra Gaúcha region, we can find Italian dialects such as Talian or ''italiano riograndense'', based on the

Venetian language Venetian, also known as wider Venetian or Venetan ( or ), is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken natively in the northeast of Italy,Ethnologue mostly in Veneto, where most of the five million inhabitants can understand it. It is som ...

. Other German dialects were transplanted to this part of Brazil. For example, the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n dialect spoken in Dreizehnlinden or Treze Tílias in the state of Santa Catarina; or the dialect Schwowisch (Standard German: ), from

Donauschwaben The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...

immigrants, is spoken in Entre Rios, Guarapuava, in the state of Paraná; or the East Pomeranian dialect spoken in many different parts of southern Brazil (in the states of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Espírito Santo,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, etc.).

Plautdietsch Plautdietsch () or Mennonite Low German is a Low Prussian dialect of East Low German with Dutch influence that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia. The word ''Plautdietsch'' translates to "fl ...

is spoken by the descendants of

Russian Mennonite The Russian Mennonites ( it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire are a group of Mennonites who are the descendants of Dutch and North German Anabaptists who settled in the Vistula delta in West Prussia for about ...

s. However, these languages have been rapidly replaced by Portuguese in the last few decades, partly due to a government decision to integrate immigrant populations. Today, states like

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

are trying to reverse that trend and immigrant languages such as German and Italian are being reintroduced into the curriculum again, in communities where they originally thrived. Meanwhile, on the Argentinian and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an border regions, Brazilian students are being introduced to the Spanish language.

Asian languages

In the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Korean, Chinese and Japanese can be heard in the immigrants districts, like Liberdade. A Japanese-language newspaper, the '' São Paulo Shinbun'', had been published in the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

since 1946, still printing paper editions until January 2019. There is a significant community of Japanese speakers in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará and Amazonas. Much smaller groups exist in Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and other parts of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Some Chinese, especially from

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, speak a Portuguese-based

creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...

called Macanese (''patuá'' or ''macaísta''), aside from Hakka, Mandarin and

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

. Japanese immigration to Brazil started on June 18, 1908, when the Japanese ship Kasato-Maru arrived in the Port of Santos, south of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, carrying the first 781 people to take advantage of a bilateral agreement promoting

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

. Half of them were from the southern part of the

Okinawa Island , officially , is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five Japanese archipelago, main islands of Japan. The island is ...

, located about south of the rest of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, which had its own distinct language and culture dating back to before the island's annexation by

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1879. The names on shop fronts are in Japanese and selling everything from Japanese food and kitchen utensils to traditional

home decoration Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

s. Red painted

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

ways, Japanese temples and a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

are present in this little Japanese corner of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Today, Brazil is home to the world's largest community of Japanese descendants outside of Japan, numbering about 1.5 million people.

Bilingualism

Spanish is understood to various degrees by many but not all Brazilians, due to the similarities of the languages. However, it is hardly spoken well by individuals who have not taken specific education in the language, due to the substantial differences in

phonology Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often pre ...

between the two languages. In

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, the German-Brazilian newspaper Brasil-Post has been published for over fifty years. There are many other media organizations throughout the country specializing in church issues, music, language etc. The online newspaper ''La Rena'' is in Talian dialect and it offers Talian lessons. There are many other non-Portuguese publications, bilingual web sites, radio and television programs throughout the country. In the state of Paraná, there are several communities of

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

,

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

and other Slavics that live in rural areas and in some municipalities such as

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

, Irati, Guarapuava, Ponta Grossa and Prudentópolis. Polish and Ukrainian are still spoken, mainly by older people. In the city of

Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (; "Iguazu River mouth"), colloquially referred to as Foz, is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. Foz in Portuguese language, Portuguese means the mouth or end of a river and Iguaçu in Guarani language, Guarani or Tup ...

(on the border with

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

), there are many

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

speakers, these people are mainly immigrants from

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. In 2021, the city of São Mateus do Sul won the title of "Polish capital of Paraná". In the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, there are several cities and communities colonized by Germans and Italians. Most small towns have German or Italian as their second language. In the state capital,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

, it is easy to find people who speak one or both of them. There are also at least two ethnic neighborhoods in the country: Liberdade, bastion of Japanese immigrants, and Bixiga, stronghold of Italian immigrants, both in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

; however, these neighborhoods do not count yet with specific

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

for the protection of Japanese and Italian

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

s in these sites. Brazilian Roma speak Caló, a mixed language which uses both Portuguese and Romani words.

Language policy

The 21st century has seen the growth of a trend of co-official languages in cities populated by immigrants (such as Italian and German) or indigenous in the north, both with support from the Ministry of Tourism, as was recently established in Santa Maria de Jetibá,

Pomerode Pomerode () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the ...

and Vila Pavão, where East Pomeranian also has co-official status. The first municipality to adopt a co-official language in Brazil was

São Gabriel da Cachoeira São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro (Amazon), Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Ca ...

, in 2002. Since then, other municipalities have attempted to adopt their own co-official languages. Also in production is the documentary video ''Brasil Talian'', with directed and written by André Costantin and executive producer of the historian Fernando Roveda. The pre-launch occurred on 18 November 2011, the date that marked the start of production of the documentary. The states of Santa Catarina and

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

have Talian officially approved as a heritage language in these states, and Espírito Santo has the East Pomeranian, along with the German language, such as cultural heritage state. In 2019, Bill No. 489 was drafted, authored by Chico d'Ângelo, which provides linguistic rights for Brazilians, especially communities that use minority languages as their mother tongue. The Project was attached to Bill 304 of 2015, which establishes knowledge about the language, uses, customs and culture of the traditional peoples and communities and ethical minorities that form the Brazilian peoples in

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

curricula. The Culture Commission approved the project on September 21, 2021. In 2015 Serafina Corrêa received the title of national capital of Talian. In 2019 Nova Erechim was recognized as the capital of Talian in Santa Catarina. In 2021, Governor Ratinho Júnior sanctioned state law 20,757, which makes the municipality of

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

the capital of Talian in Paraná.

Classification of languages as linguistic or cultural heritage

Brazilian states with linguistic heritages officially approved statewide: * Espírito Santo — Pomeranian and German *

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

— Yoruba, Bantu and Ewe *

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

— TalianAprovado projeto que declara o Talian como patrimônio do RS
, accessed on 21 August 2011 and

Riograndenser Hunsrückisch Hunsrik (natively ''Hunsrik'' , ''Hunsrückisch'' or ''Hunsrickisch'' and Portuguese ''hunsriqueano'' or ''hunsriqueano riograndense''), also called Riograndese Hunsrik, ' or ', is a Moselle Franconian language derived primarily from the Hunsr� ...

*

Roraima Roraima ( ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas t ...

— Hixkaryána (Hixkariána), Ingarikó, Máku, Makuxí, Ninám, Pa tamóna (Kapóng),

Sanumá The Sanumá, also referred to as ''Sanema, Sanima Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari'' and ''Chirichano'' in the literature, are an indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela. They are related to the ...

, Taulipáng (Pemong), Waiwái, Wapixána, Yanomámi, Yekuána (Mayongóng)GABINETE DO DEPUTADO SOLDADO SAMPAIO - PROJETO DE LEI Nº 310/2023
Dispõe sobre o reconhecimento das línguas indígenas faladas no Estado de Roraima como patrimônio cultural imaterial, e estabelece a cooficialização de línguas indígenas e institui a Política Estadual de Proteção das Línguas Indígenas do Estado de Roraima.POVOS ORIGINÁRIOS - Doze línguas indígenas são reconhecidas como patrimônio cultural imaterial de Roraima
Assembleia Legislativa de RoraimaRoraima reconhece 12 línguas indígenas como patrimônio cultural
EcoamazôniaALE-RE reconhece 12 línguas indígenas como patrimônio cultural imaterial de Roraima
Portal Norte * Santa Catarina — Talian and

Riograndenser Hunsrückisch Hunsrik (natively ''Hunsrik'' , ''Hunsrückisch'' or ''Hunsrickisch'' and Portuguese ''hunsriqueano'' or ''hunsriqueano riograndense''), also called Riograndese Hunsrik, ' or ', is a Moselle Franconian language derived primarily from the Hunsr� ...

Brazilian municipalities that have a language as intangible cultural heritage: *

Blumenau Blumenau () is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina (Brazil), Santa Catarina state, in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil, from the state capital Florianópolis. The city was founded by the German chemist and pharmacist H ...

, Santa Catarina — German language * Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais — Tabatinga language * Capinzal, Santa Catarina — Talian * Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul — TalianLei confirma o Talian como segunda língua oficial de Caxias do Sul
/ref> *

Harmonia In Greek mythology, Harmonia (; /Ancient Greek phonology, harmoˈnia/, "harmony", "agreement") is the goddess of harmony and concord. Her Greek opposite is Eris (mythology), Eris and her Roman mythology, Roman counterpart is Concordia (mythol ...

, Rio Grande do Sul — German language * Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul — German language * Marechal Floriano, Espírito Santo — Talian and Friulian * Nova Hartz, Rio Grande do Sul — German language * Salvador, Bahia — Yoruba language * Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul — German languageSanta Cruz terá placas em alemão para identificar localidades
Gaz * São Pedro de Alcântara, Santa Catarina — Hunsrik language * Venâncio Aires, Rio Grande do Sul — German language * Veranópolis, Rio Grande do Sul — TalianDiário Oficial, Município de Veranópolis, Lei Municipal Nº 8.382 de 8 de maio de 2025
dispõe sobre a co-oficialização da língua Talian - vêneto brasileiro, à língua portuguesa e o reconhecimento como patrimônio cultural no Município de Veranópolis/RS

Language co-officialization

States that have co-official indigenous languages: *

Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state and the eighteenth-largest state by area ...

— Kheuol Karipuna, Kheuól Galibi-Marworno, Parikwaki, Kali`na, Wajãpi, Tiriyó, Kaxuyana, Wayana and Aparai. * Amazonas — Apurinã, Baniwa, Dessana, Kanamari, Marubo, Matis, Matses, Mawe, Mura, Nheengatu, Tariana, Tikuna, Tukano, Waiwai, Waimiri and

Yanomami The Yanomami, also spelled Yąnomamö or Yanomama, are a group of approximately 35,000 indigenous people of the Americas, indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. ...

. *

Roraima Roraima ( ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas t ...

— Hixkaryána (Hixkariána), Ingarikó, Máku, Makuxí, Ninám, Pa tamóna (Kapóng),

Sanumá The Sanumá, also referred to as ''Sanema, Sanima Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari'' and ''Chirichano'' in the literature, are an indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela. They are related to the ...

, Taulipáng (Pemong), Waiwái, Wapixána, Yanomámi, Yekuána (Mayongóng) Municipalities that have co-official indigenous languages: * Santo Antônio do Içá, Amazonas ( Ticuna) *

São Gabriel da Cachoeira São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro (Amazon), Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Ca ...

, Amazonas ( Nheengatu, Tukano and Baniwa) *

Porto Seguro Porto Seguro (, Safe Harbor in English), is a city located in the far south of Bahia, Brazil. The city has an estimated population of 150,658 (2020), covers , and has a population density of 52.7 residents per square kilometer. The area that inc ...

, Bahia ( Patxôhã) * Monsenhor Tabosa, Ceará ( Nheengatu) * Barra do Corda, Maranhão ( Guajajara) * Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso ( Boe Bororo) * Amambai, Mato Grosso do Sul ( Guarani Kaiowá) * Coronel Sapucaia, Mato Grosso do Sul ( Guarani) * Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul (

Terena The Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association (TERENA, ) was a not-for-profit association of European national research and education networks (NRENs) incorporated in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The association was originally ...

, Kinikinau, Terena Sign Language) * Paranhos, Mato Grosso do Sul ( Guarani, under approval) * Tacuru, Mato Grosso do Sul ( Guarani) * João Câmara, Rio Grande do Norte ( tupi-nheengatu) * Bonfim, Roraima ( macushi) and ( wapishana) * Cantá, Roraima ( macushi) and ( wapishana) * José Boiteux, Santa Catarina ( Xokleng)Lei n. 1.299/2025 - Do Município de José Boiteux / SC
Dispõe sobre a cooficialização das Línguas Xokleng, Italiana e Alemã no Município de José Boiteux e dá outras providências. Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas (RBLL) * Itacajá, Tocantins ( Krahô) * Tocantínia, Tocantins ( Xerénte) Municipalities that have co-official

Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...

: * Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul * José Boiteux, Santa Catarina * Santa Tereza, Espírito Santo * Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 4.797/2025 - Do Município de Santo Ângelo / RS
Institui a cooficialização das Línguas Polonesa, Italiana e Alemã no Município de Santo Ângelo/RS. Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas (RBLL) * São Bento do Sul, Santa CatarinaLei n. 5.181/2025 - Do Município de São Bento do Sul / SC
Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas (RBLL) * Venda Nova do Imigrante, Espírito SantoLEI Nº 1.676/2024
DISPÕE SOBRE A COOFICIALIZAÇÃO DA LÍNGUA ITALIANA E O DIALETO TALIAN, À LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA, NO MUNICÍPIO DE VENDA NOVA DO IMIGRANTE/ES. Prefeitura Municipal de Venda Nova do ImigranteVereadores aprovam projeto de lei que oficializa italiano e talian em Venda Nova do Imigrante
Câmara Municipal de Venda Nova do Imigrante Municipalities that have co-official Talian language (''or Venetian dialect''): * Antônio Prado, Rio Grande do Sul * Barão, Rio Grande do Sul * Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul * Camargo, Rio Grande do Sul * Capinzal, Santa Catarina * Casca, Rio Grande do SulLei Municipal Nº 3.049, de 16 de março de 2022 - Dispõe sobre a Cooficialização da Língua Talian e do Polonês no Município de Casca - RS
/ref> * Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul * Coronel Pilar, Rio Grande do Sul * Cotiporã, Rio Grande do Sul * Doutor Ricardo, Rio Grande do Sul * Fagundes Varela, Rio Grande do Sul *

Farroupilha Farroupilha is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the Serra Gaúcha between the cities of Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul. The city's total area is 359.3 km2. Farroupilha has 73,061 residents ...

, Rio Grande do Sul * Flores da Cunha, Rio Grande do Sul * Garibaldi, Rio Grande do Sul * Guabiju, Rio Grande do Sul * Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul * Ijuí, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 7.421/2023 - Do Município de Ijuí / RS
Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas * Ipumirim, Santa Catarina * Ivorá, Rio Grande do Sul * Marau, Rio Grande do Sul * Nova Bassano, Rio Grande do Sul * Nova Erechim, Santa Catarina * Nova Pádua, Rio Grande do Sul * Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul * Nova Roma do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul * Paraí, Rio Grande do Sul * Pinto Bandeira, Rio Grande do Sul * Putinga, Rio Grande do Sul *

São Miguel do Oeste São Miguel do Oeste is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the southern region of Brazil, 655 km from the state capital, Florianópolis. Its population in 2022, according to the Brazilian Institute o ...

, Santa Catarina * Serafina Corrêa, Rio Grande do Sul * Ouro, Santa CatarinaVereadores aprovam Projeto de Lei que cooficializa as línguas Talian (Italiana) e Hunsrückisch (Alemã) em Ouro
/ref>Projeto de Lei Legislativo Nº 0001/2022
/ref> * União da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul * Venda Nova do Imigrante, Espírito Santo * Veranópolis, Rio Grande do Sul * Vila Flores, Rio Grande do Sul * Vista Alegre do Prata, Rio Grande do Sul Municipalities that have co-official East Pomeranian language: * Afonso Cláudio, Espírito Santo (in the district of Mata Fria) * Canguçu, Rio Grande do Sul (under approval) * Domingos Martins, Espírito Santo * Espigão d'Oeste, Rondônia * Itarana, Espírito Santo * Itueta, Minas Gerais * Laranja da Terra, Espírito Santo * Pancas, Espírito Santo *

Pomerode Pomerode () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the ...

, Santa Catarina * Santa Maria de Jetibá, Espírito Santo * Vila Pavão, Espírito Santo Municipalities that have co-official Trentinian language (''or Trentinian dialect''): * Laurentino, Santa Catarina * Rodeio, Santa Catarina Municipalities that have co-official language Riograndenser Hunsrückisch language: * Antônio Carlos, Santa Catarina * Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul * Ipumirim, Santa Catarina * Horizontina, Rio Grande do SulLEI Nº 4.217, DE 27 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2023
dispõe sobre a cooficialização dos idiomas polonês, hunsrückisch e talian no município de Horizontina * Ouro, Santa Catarina * Treze Tílias, Santa Catarina (language teaching is compulsory in schools, standing on stage in public official of the municipality) * Santa Maria do Herval, Rio Grande do Sul * Barão, Rio Grande do Sul Municipalities that have co-official Plattdüütsch language (''or Plattdüütsch dialect''): * Palmeira, Paraná * Westfália, Rio Grande do Sul Municipalities that have co-official

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

: * Campina das Missões, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 3.342/2023 - Do Município de Campina das Missões / RS
/ref> * José Boiteux, Santa Catarina *

Pomerode Pomerode () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the ...

, Santa Catarina * Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul * São Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina * São João do Oeste, Santa Catarina * Ubiretama, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 3.118/2023 - Do Município de Ubiretama / RS
Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas Municipalities that have co-official

Polish language Polish (, , or simply , ) is a West Slavic languages, West Slavic language of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic subgroup, within the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family, and is written in the Latin script. It is primarily spo ...

: * Áurea, Rio Grande do Sul * Campina das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul * Carlos Gomes, Rio Grande do Sul * Casca, Rio Grande do Sul * Centenário, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 2.223/2025 - Do Município de Centenário / RS
Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas (RBLL) * Guarani das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul * Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul * Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul * Itaiópolis, Santa Catarina *

Mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

, Paraná * Nova Prata, Rio Grande do SulLei n. 11.299/2024 - Do Município de Nova Prata / RS
Repositório Brasileiro de Legislações Linguísticas * Paula Freitas, Paraná * Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul * São Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina * Sete de Setembro, Rio Grande do Sul * São Mateus do Sul, Paraná * Ubiretama, Rio Grande do Sul * Vista Alegre do Prata, Rio Grande do SulLEI MUNICIPAL Nº 3.276, de 02 de junho de 2023
Dispõe sobre a cooficialização da língua do talian e do polonês, à língua portuguesa, no município de Vista Alegre do Prata - RS Municipalities with co-official

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

: * Campina das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul Municipalities that have co-official

Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...

: * Itaiópolis, Santa CatarinaLEI Nº 1.054, DE 14 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2023
dispõe sobre a cooficialização das línguas polonesa e ucraniana no Município de Itaiópolis, Estado de Santa Catarina *

Mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. General overview The term is descriptive of the ...

, Paraná * Paula Freitas, ParanáLEI Nº 1.603/2022 - DE 09 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2022
dispõe sobre a cooficilialização da Língua Polonesa e a Língua Ucraniana à língua portuguesa, no Município de Paula Freitas, e dá outras providências * Prudentópolis, Paraná

Officialization in education

Municipalities in which the teaching of the German language is mandatory: * Nova Petrópolis, Rio Grande do Sul *

Blumenau Blumenau () is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina (Brazil), Santa Catarina state, in the South Region, Brazil, South Region of Brazil, from the state capital Florianópolis. The city was founded by the German chemist and pharmacist H ...

, Santa Catarina * Treze Tílias, Santa Catarina Municipalities in which the teaching of the Hunsrik language is mandatory: * Nova Hartz, Rio Grande do Sul Municipalities in which the teaching of the

Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...

is mandatory: * Venda Nova do Imigrante, Espírito Santo * Francisco Beltrão, Paraná * Antônio Prado, Rio Grande do Sul * Brusque, Santa Catarina * Criciúma, Santa Catarina

Indigenous languages

Many Amerindian

minority language A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities. With a total number of 196 sovereign states recognized internationally (as of 2019) and ...

s are spoken throughout Brazil, mostly in Northern Brazil. Indigenous languages with about 10,000 speakers or more are Ticuna (language isolate), Kaingang (Gean family), Kaiwá Guarani, Nheengatu (Tupian), Guajajára (Tupian), Macushi (Cariban),

Terena The Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association (TERENA, ) was a not-for-profit association of European national research and education networks (NRENs) incorporated in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The association was originally ...

(Arawakan), Xavante (Gean) and Mawé (Tupian). Tucano (Tucanoan) has half that number, but is widely used as a second language in the Amazon. One of the two Brazilian '' línguas gerais'' (general languages), Nheengatu, was until the late 19th century the common language used by a large number of indigenous, European, African, and African-descendant peoples throughout the coast of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

—it was spoken by the majority of the population in the land. It was proscribed by the Marquis of Pombal for its association with the Jesuit missions. A recent resurgence in popularity of this language occurred, and it is now an official language in the city of

São Gabriel da Cachoeira São Gabriel da Cachoeira (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Saint Gabriel of the Waterfall'') is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located on the northern shore of the Rio Negro (Amazon), Rio Negro River, in the region of Cabeça do Ca ...

. Today, in the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

, political campaigning is still printed in this Tupian language. There is also an indigenous

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

, the Ka'apor Sign Language. There are also three other sign languages: Terena Sign Language, Marajo Sign Language, and Maxakali Sign Language. In July 2023, the Brazilian Constitution of 1988 was translated for the first time into an indigenous language, the

Nheengatu language The Nheengatu or Nenhengatu language (Tupi: , Nheengatu from Rio Negro: , Traditional Nheengatu: , and Tapajoawaran Nheengatu: ), or Nenhengatu, also known as Modern Tupi and Amazonic Tupi, is a Tupi–Guarani languages, Tupi–Guarani languag ...

.Constituição ganha primeira tradução para uma língua indígena
Jornal Nacional Below is a full list of indigenous language families and isolates of Brazil based on Campbell (2012). The Macro-Jê classification follows that of Nikulin (2020). Additional extinct languages of Northeast Brazil have also been included from Meader (1978) and other sources. # Tupían # Arawakan # Cariban # Macro-Jê ## Karajá ## Ofayé ## Rikbáktsa ## Jabutí ## Jaikó ## Krenák ## Maxakalí ## Kamakã ## Jê # Boróro # Purí # Guató # Karirí # Otí # Chapacuran # Pano–Takanan # Nadahup (Makuan) # Tucanoan # Arawan # Guaicuruan # Katukinan # Muran # Nambikwaran # Tikuna–Yuri # Yanomaman # Aikanã # Awaké # Irantxe # Kanoê # Kwaza # Máku # Matanawí # Taruma # Trumai # Boran # Xukuruan # Natú # Pankararú # Tuxá # Wamoé (Atikum) # Kambiwá # Xocó # Yaté (Fulniô) # Baenan # Kaimbé # Katembri # Tarairiú # Gamela

References

External links

Brazilian Repository of Linguistic Legislation

Handbook for the co-officialization of indigenous languages in Brazil

Co-officialized languages in Brazilian municipalities
Instituto de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Política Linguística (IPOL)

Portal Japiim
(dictionaries of various indigenous languages of Brazil) {{DEFAULTSORT:Languages Of Brazil

Brazilian Portuguese

Brazilian Sign Language

Minority languages

Immigrant languages

European immigrant languages

Asian languages

Bilingualism

Language policy

Classification of languages as linguistic or cultural heritage

Language co-officialization

Officialization in education

Indigenous languages

See also

References

External links