Brazil is one of the most interesting countries in the world, internationally known for its cultural diversity. Strolling through our five regions, you will certainly be fascinated by the peculiarities found: in some places, there are so many differences that it is even hard to believe that we are in the same country!
However, although there are so many “Brazils” within a large Brazil, linguistically we are united by a language, Portuguese, right? The statement is relatively correct, were it not for the various dialects found in our territory. Dialect is the way a language is performed in a specific region, configuring itself as a variety or language variant. Among these variations, there is a very interesting and curious one called Talian.
Talian is a mixture of dialects brought from Italy by the first immigrants with words from Portuguese and grammatical Italian. In the late nineteenth century, when the first Italians arrived in Brazilian lands in search of better opportunities, the use of dialects in Italy was very common. This was because there was not yet an official language in the country, therefore, each region communicated in a specific, albeit approximate, manner. Thus, when immigrants arrived here, although they came from the same country, they did not all speak the same language.
Many cultural aspects are explained from the perspective of History. Talian dialect is among them
In Brazil, immigrants arrived from the north of the Italian Peninsula, especially from the regions of Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. As most people were from Veneto, over time the dialect of this region overcame the too much, thus forming a Brazilian Venetian dialect, which was understood by all Italians and their descendants. The difficulty of the Italians in integrating themselves into Brazilian culture, together with the geographic isolation of many colonies in the south of the country, was fundamental for the preservation of the Talian. In São Paulo, for example, where immigrants interacted with the Brazilian population since the beginning, the dialects were soon extinct, given the great exposure to the Portuguese language, which facilitated the assimilation of language.
The term Talian is used to differentiate the Veneto spoken in Brazil from the Veneto dialect still in use in Italy, because the dialect is considered a Brazilian variant of the Venetian language, not having status of official language, even though it is the only language spoken in some colonies located mainly in the southern region. The last census, taken in 2010, showed that Talian is spoken by about half a million people, most of whom are also proficient in Portuguese language. The strength of the dialect is such that there are publications aimed at this specific audience, including books and magazines. There are also some radio stations that broadcast all programming exclusively in Talian, in municipalities located in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Mato Grosso and Espírito Santo.
Interesting, isn't it? The Talian dialect is living proof that Language, Culture and History go hand in hand!
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
