Talian
Encyclopedia
Talian is a dialect
spoken mainly in the wine-producing area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul
in Brazil
. Talian is sometimes called Vêneto (brasileiro). Talian is also spoken in other parts of Rio Grande do Sul as well as in parts of the neighboring state of Santa Catarina
to the north.
Despite the similar names, Talian is not derived from standard Italian
(actually called grammatical Italian in Brazil), but is mainly a mix of Venetian
dialects influenced by other dialects of North Italy as well as local Portuguese
: indeed it is also called Veneto (brasileiro).
, a region at the north of Italy
, where Venetian
was spoken, but also from Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
.
Although these immigrants came from Italy, as time went by a uniquely southern Brazilian dialect emerged. Veneto became the basis for this Italian-Brazilian regionalism. However, it was also very much influenced not only by other Italian dialects but by Portuguese
, the national language of Brazil.
Because its grammar and lexicon remain predominantly Venetian, Talian is not considered a creole language
, the preponderance of non-Venetian loanword
s notwithstanding.
Like Riograndenser Hunsrückisch
(hunsriqueano riograndense), the main German
dialect spoken by southern Brazilians of German origin, Talian has suffered great depreciation since the 1940s. At that time, then-President Getúlio Vargas
started a campaign of nationalization (similar to the Nacionalismo of neighboring Argentina
) to try to force non-Portuguese speakers of Brazil to "better integrate" into the national mainstream culture. Speaking Talian or German in public, especially in education and press, was forbidden.
As a result of the traumas of Vargas' policies, there is, even to this day, a stigma attached to speaking these languages.
of Rio Grande do Sul
(where the language was declared part of the cultural and historical heritage), Santa Catarina
and Paraná
.
Some estimate goes up to one million speakers today.
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
spoken mainly in the wine-producing area of the state of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Talian is sometimes called Vêneto (brasileiro). Talian is also spoken in other parts of Rio Grande do Sul as well as in parts of the neighboring state of Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
to the north.
Despite the similar names, Talian is not derived from standard Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(actually called grammatical Italian in Brazil), but is mainly a mix of Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
dialects influenced by other dialects of North Italy as well as local Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
: indeed it is also called Veneto (brasileiro).
History
Italian settlers first began arriving into this region in the middle 19th century. These settlers were mainly from VenetoVeneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, a region at the north of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
was spoken, but also from Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
.
Although these immigrants came from Italy, as time went by a uniquely southern Brazilian dialect emerged. Veneto became the basis for this Italian-Brazilian regionalism. However, it was also very much influenced not only by other Italian dialects but by Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, the national language of Brazil.
Because its grammar and lexicon remain predominantly Venetian, Talian is not considered a creole language
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
, the preponderance of non-Venetian loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s notwithstanding.
Like Riograndenser Hunsrückisch
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch , spoken in parts of Brazil, is a Brazilian West Germanic language derived primarily from the Hunsrückisch dialect of the German Language....
(hunsriqueano riograndense), the main German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
dialect spoken by southern Brazilians of German origin, Talian has suffered great depreciation since the 1940s. At that time, then-President Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
started a campaign of nationalization (similar to the Nacionalismo of neighboring Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
) to try to force non-Portuguese speakers of Brazil to "better integrate" into the national mainstream culture. Speaking Talian or German in public, especially in education and press, was forbidden.
As a result of the traumas of Vargas' policies, there is, even to this day, a stigma attached to speaking these languages.
Speakers
Talian is mainly spoken in the southern Brasilian statesSouthern Region, Brazil
The South Region of Brazil is one of the five regions of Brazil. It includes the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul and covers 576,409.6 km ², being the smallest portion of the country...
of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
(where the language was declared part of the cultural and historical heritage), Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
and Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
.
Some estimate goes up to one million speakers today.
External links
- La Rena Brasil
- Portuguese essay, written by Bernardette Soldatelli Oliboni A estigmatização como fator determinante dos bloqueios de fala de descendentes de italianos no nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul ("Stigmatization as a determining impeding factor to the language of descendants of Italians in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul")
- Main Dialects of Rio Grande do Sul
- Il "talian"
- Musibrasil
- Talian, heritage of Rio Grande do Sul