By Sarah-Claire Jordan Portuguese may not be as widely-spoken as Spanish, English, and some of the other popular languages of the world, but it is spoken by over 200 million people around the world. Its influence goes beyond just Portugal and Brazil, however, as it is also spoken as an official language in Cape Verde, […]
By Sarah-Claire Jordan Even before the French language committee had announced that there will be spelling changes implemented for around 2,400 French words, Portugal led the way in 1990 with a proposal to make Portuguese spelling more uniform across the different countries that speak it. This meant essentially favoring the Brazilian pronunciation and spelling of […]
By Sarah-Claire Jordan Not to be confused with the German word for German, “Deutsch”, Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands. It is also spoken in parts of Belgium and France as well as in a handful of other countries like Suriname, that was once a Dutch colony. The language tends to get overlooked, […]
By Sarah-Claire Jordan Portuguese was not the language of the land in Brazil until the Portuguese came over to claim it for their country, making it part of the Portuguese empire, in the early 1500s. Before that, the languages spoken there were mostly the languages of the various indigenous peoples of Brazil. Just like […]
By Sarah-Claire Jordan Brazil has always been known for its unique diversity. The Brazilian people have an amazing mix of African, Portuguese, and indigenous roots that has had an interesting impact on the culture of their country. Like many modern countries, Brazil has had its fair share of waves of immigration, most notably from countries […]
Traveling in Brazil along the 15th parallel is no easy business. From the coastline, the country’s capital, Brasilia, is a whole 24 hours in bus. Add another 10 hours and the bus may reach the rude landscape surrounding the bustling Rondonópolis in Brazil’s Mato Grosso region. This is a backwoods more laden with yellowing grasses […]
The white palatial Teatro Solís in central Montevideo has opened its doors for an exposition of the finest Milonga dancers from around. A dramatic recording is played to unleash the passionate dance of a caballero and his dama in the center spotlight. They are dancing an elaborate, quick-paced form of tango, their countenances touching and […]
Montevideo isn’t a densely populated city despite being the capital and the only major metropolis in Uruguay. The population of “panaderías” (bread shop), pubs, and restaurants is however quite dense lining the rustic streets of Montevideo’s midsection. Spanish, Italian, and French immigrants in the last century may be the reason Uruguay exhibits this “bread” and […]
