Chapter II: Preface

Text size

The primary purpose of this work is to give an idea of the dialect which has been developed by the German-speaking element in Brazil.

As comparatively little is known by the English-speaking public concerning the history, location and relative importance of the German element in Brazil (judging from extant English publications referring to the subject), the main part of the work has been preceded by a chapter dealing with these particular phases. This first chapter is also intended to prepare the reader to form a reasonable estimate of the comparative importance and extent of the dialect under discussion in the main part of the work.

In connection with this study the author is particularly indebted to the well-known authority on German American cultural relations and conditions, Professor Marion Dexter Learned, of the University of Pennsylvania. It was at his suggestion and under his constant help and advice that the plan was carried out.

While on a trip of investigation in Brazil the writer was furnished important information and material by Friedrich Sommer, _Direktor_ of the "Banco Allemão Transatlantico" of São Paulo; Henrique Bamberg of São Paulo; Otto Specht, _Chefe da Secção de Publicidade e Bibliotheca_ of the "Secretaria da Agricultura" of São Paulo; Johann Potucek, Austro-Hungarian Consul in Curityba; J.B. Hafkemeyer, S.J., of the "Collegio Anchieta," Porto Alegre; G.A. Büchler of the "Neue Schule," Blumenau; Cleto Espey, O.F.M., of the "Collegio St. Antonio," Blumenau; E. Bloch, _Engenheiro Chefe da Estrada de Ferro Santa Catharina,_ Itajahy; Nikolaus Dechent, _Direktor_ of the "Deutsche Schule," Joinville; Petrus Sinzig, O.F.M., of the "Convento dos Franciscanos," Petropolis; Edmondo Hees, Editor of the "Nachrichten," Petropolis; Pastor Fr. L. Hoepffner of the "Deutsch-Evangelische Gemeinde," Rio de Janeiro; W. Münzenthaler, _Kaiserlicher General-Konsul,_ Rio de Janeiro; and Heinrich Lotz, _Kgl. Bezirksgeologe a.D._, Berlin.

Special thanks are also due to Professor D.B. Shumway, of the University of Pennsylvania, for valuable suggestions and assistance in the final arrangement of the manuscript.

The above-mentioned persons are in no wise responsible for any errors which may appear in the text.

=CHAPTER I.=

THE COLONIES. HISTORY AND LOCATION.

THE FIRST SETTLERS.

The first reference to German settlers in Brazil we have from the pen of Hans Stade of Homberg in Hessen. Stade made two trips to Brazil; one in 1547 and one in 1549. In the latter instance he was shipwrecked but succeeded in landing safely near the present port of Santos in the state of São Paulo. As he was a skilled artillerist the Portuguese made him commander of the fort Bertioga, the ruins of which are an interesting landmark to this day. Later Stade spent several most trying years as the captive of a cannibalistic tribe.

After his return to Germany, Stade published an account of his experiences. The first edition entitled "_Wahrhafftige Historia unnd beschreibung einer landschafft der Wilden, Nacketen, Grimmigen, Menschfresser Leuthen in der Newen Welt America gelegen, ..._" appeared at Marburg in 1557.[1] In this work Stade refers to two of his fellow-countrymen located in Brazil; the one Heliodorus Eoban of Hessen, who had charge of a sugar-refinery on the island of São Vicente (near Santos); the other Peter Rösel, who was located in Rio de Janeiro as the representative for a business firm of Antdorff.[2]

Next we come to Manuel Beckmann, the son of a German who had located in Lisbon. He is known in history as Manoel Bequimão and was the leader in the Maranhão revolution of 1684. This uprising, altho it came to grief, may be regarded as the first of a long series of protests against the home government resulting in the declaration of the independence of Brazil on the field at Ypiranga, September 2d, 1822. Beckmann died a martyr's death at Rio on November 2, 1685. His younger brother, Thomas Beckmann, who had also taken part in the revolution, was acquitted.[3]

In the 18th-century there was another important German figure in Brazilian history; that of Lieutenant-General Johann Heinrich von Böhm. It was von Böhm who, at the head of Portuguese troops, recaptured the city of Rio Grande in Rio Grande do Sul from the Spaniards in 1777.[4] Von Böhm was assisted by two other German officers, i.e., the Count of Lippe and Marschal Funk. These three characters were in a sense the forerunners of the German battalions brought into Brazil by the First Empire in the early part of the following century.

The first colonization of importance by Germans in Brazil did not take place until the early part of the 19th century. Beginning with that century there was a steady stream of non-Portuguese settlers into the country, and of these the Germans formed an important part.

COLONIZATION IN INDIVIDUAL STATES.

_Introductory Remarks._

The following is a résumé of the German colonies[5] in Brazil and a brief introduction to their history.

For the sake of convenience, the colonies have been divided:

First; according to the states in which they are located.

Second; according to the date of founding.

Third; according to the kind of colony administratively at the time of founding. As to this they fall under three categories:

a) Private colonies, i.e., founded by a private individual or corporation.

b) Provincial colonies, i.e., founded by a particular state or former province.

c) State colonies, i.e., founded by the central government, whether during the time of the Empire[6] or since the formation of the Republic.

The word _German_ as applied to colonists refers only to natives of Germany who became naturalized citizens of Brazil and to Brazilians of German extraction.

Colonies located within the confines of other German colonies (_e.g.,_ Hansa, São Bento _etc._) are not listed.

_Direct immigration_ signifies immigration from Europe.

_Indirect immigration_ signifies immigration from a South American country bordering on Brazil; immigration from another Brazilian state; or from another colony within the same state.

Numerical statistics concerning individual colonies have been avoided except in a few cases where they are of sufficient comparative importance to be noted in a work of this scope.

All the colonies coming in consideration (excepting some of those founded since 1890) have been "emancipated," _i.e.,_ they no longer receive special aid from, the government and their special colonial directorates have been abolished.

The states of Brazil which are important so far as German colonization is concerned are Bahia, Minas Geraes, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro (Federal District), São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catharina and Rio Grande do Sul.[7] This is the geographical order from north to south and the one according to which they will be taken up.

BAHIA.

In this state is located the first German colony founded in Brazil. It is =Leopoldina=, started as a private undertaking by Busch, Reycke and Freireiss in 1818.[8]

=Frankenthal=, another private colony, was founded in 1822 by Peter Weyll and Saueracker.[9]

Of all the states mentioned, Bahia is the least important so far as German colonization is concerned. This is largely due to the fact that its climate is too tropical to favor such colonization oft an extended scale.

MINAS GERAES.

The private colony =Theophilo Ottoni=,[10] in the north-eastern part of the state was founded by a German stock-company in 1851.

Recent state colonies where Germans form a considerable part of the population are =Nova Baden, Francisco Salles, Itajubá, João Pinheiro, Constança, Vargem Grande,= and =Rodrigo Sylva=.[11]

Germans form a considerable part of the population of the capital of the state (Bello Horizonte) and of the important city of Juiz da Fora.

ESPIRITO SANTO.

The state colony =Santa Izabel= was founded in 1847. The first settlers were composed chiefly of Rhenish Prussians.

=Santa Leopoldina=, another state colony, was founded in 1857. A suggestion as to the origin of the first settlers is offered by the names of the different districts into which the colony was first divided; _viz._; Schweiz, Sachsen, Pommern, Rheinland, Tirol and Holland.

The two above-mentioned are the most northern of the important German colonies in Brazil to-day.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Federal District).

=Nova Friburgo=, the oldest state colony in Brazil, was founded in 1819. The first settlers were Swiss, but since Germans immediately followed them and formed the larger part of the subsequent influx, Nova Friburgo is properly classed as a German colony.

=Petropolis= was made a state colony in 1845. In reality it had its origin as a German colony in 1838. The first settlers were German emigrants originally bound not for Brazil but for Sydney, Australia. On account of the bad treatment they received on the French sailing vessel "Justine" they revolted and compelled the captain to land them at Rio de Janeiro on December 2d, 1837. Here the Brazilian Imperial Government assisted them and at the suggestion of Major Julius Friedrich Koehler[12] gave them employment on the construction of the Serra road between Estrella, located a short distance above Rio, and Parahyba do Sul, located near the border between the Federal District and Minas Geraes. They formed their settlement at what later became Petropolis. On account of the satisfaction which the government found in these immigrants it turned the settlement into a state colony in 1845, as above mentioned.

As in the case of Santa Leopolidina, the origin of individual groups of colonists to Petropolis is indicated by the names of some of the sections into which the colony was divided, _viz.,_ Bingen, Ingelheim, Moselthal, Nassau, Westphalen, Unteres-Rheinthal, Mittleres-Rheinthal, Simmern, Castellaunerthal, Untere Pfalz, Obere Pfalz, Oberes Rheinthal, Wöstädterthal, Schweizerthal, Wormserthal, Darmstädterthal, etc.

Since 1850 there has been but little German immigration into the Petropolis colony. On the other hand, this particular colony has been a rich source for indirect German immigration into the more southern states.

Among the recent state colonies of Rio de Janeiro that of =Visconde de Mauá= is largely populated by Germans.[13]

SÃO PAULO.

The oldest German settlements in the state are the provincial colonies founded in 1827. On November 13th of that year the first levy of settlers, all South Germans, landed at Santos. These were apportioned into two colonies; one located at _Santo Amaro_ and the other between Penha and Nossa Senhora dos Garulhos.

The provincial colony of =Quilombo=, located between Itapecerica and Contia, was founded in 1828.[14]

In 1847 the private colonies of =Ybicaba= and =Angelica= were founded by the Senador Vergueiro. They were put on the basis of _meiação_,[15] the later abuse of which, by others than Vergueiro, paved the way for the famous Heydt rescript[16] of November 3d, 1859.

In the following more recently established provincial colonies the population is largely made up of German settlers: =Campos Salles=, founded in 1897; =Jorge Tibiriça=, founded in 1905; =Nova Europa=, founded in 1907; and =Bandeirantes=, founded in 1908. In addition to these, the provincial colonies of =Monção= and =Pariquera Assú= also contain important quotas of Germans.

In the state of São Paulo the Germans form to-day an urban rather than a rural population. They are very strongly represented in São Paulo (the capital), Campinas and Santos. The following towns and their vicinities are also important centers of German population: Riberão Pires, São Bernardo, Rocinha, Vallinhos, Helvetia, Nova Friburgo, Salto de Ytú, Sorocaba, Botucatú, Riberão Preto, São João da Bôa Vista, Villa Americana, Pires, Araras, Leme, Rio Claro, São Carlos do Pinhal, Santa Rita do Passo Quatro, Santa Cruz das Palmeiras, Brotas, Dous Corregos, Jahú, Villa Raffard, Piracicaba, and Jacarehy.[17]

Excepting the older colonies first mentioned, the German element in São Paulo is largely made up as the result of indirect immigration; in the early years from the Petropolis district, and later from the more southern states and from Argentine.

PARANÁ.

The state colony of =Rio Negro= was founded in 1829[18] while this section of Brazil was still within the limits of São Paulo.[19] Shortly after its founding the colony was increased by the location of members of the mustered-out German legion of the Imperial army.[20] Subsequently many settlers from the São Bento district in Santa Catharina moved over to this colony.

The following provincial colonies are settled largely by Germans or German-speaking Austrians: =Jesuino Marcondes, Ivahy, Iraty,= all founded in 1907; =Itapará= and =Tayó=, both founded in 1908; and =Vera Guarany=, founded in 1909.[21]

By far the most important center for Germans in the state is the capital, Curityba. There are some 12,000 German-speaking residents in this city. In addition, a large number are located in the important cities of Lapa, Ponta Grossa, Porto da União and Castro.[22]

A large part of the German element in Paraná is due to indirect immigration from Santa Catharina.

SANTA CATHARINA.

=São Pedro de Alcantara=, a state colony, was founded in 1828.[23] Its first settlers came mainly from the Rhine district.

=Itajahy=[24] and =Santa Izabel=, two other state colonies were founded in 1835 and 1846 respectively.

=Blumenau=, a private colony (originally), was founded in 1850 by Dr. Hermann Blumenau.[25] The first settlers were mainly natives of Pomerania and Mecklenburg. Blumenau is the most widely known (largely because of its German name) and one of the most important German colonies in Brazil to-day. According to Carvalho "Blumenau constitue dans l'Amérique du Sud le type le plus parfait de la colonisation européenne."[26] The area of the "municipio"[27] covers 10,725 square kilometers and is populated by about 60,000 inhabitants, the great majority of whom are of German descent.[28] The "Stadtplatz"[29] is composed mainly of one street 5-1/2 kilometers in length (including Altona) and is most beautifully situated on the right bank of the river Itajahy-Assú. It contains about 3,000 inhabitants, nearly all of whom are Germans.

=Dona Francisca= was founded in 1851 as a private colony by the "Hamburger Kolonisationsverein von 1849." It comprises the territory given as a marriage dot by Dom Pedro II. to his sister, Dona Francisca, at the time of her marriage to the Prince of Joinville of the French House of Orleans. The "Stadtplatz" of the colony was named Joinville in honor of the prince.

Dona Francisca was founded under favorable circumstances at a time when many Germans, including members of the "upper classes" were leaving the Fatherland on account of the general political discontent during the latter part of the forties of the past century. This fact is reflected in the German language as spoken in Joinville to-day. It is perhaps more free from dialect than in any other German colony in Brazil. The general cultural status of the inhabitants of Germanic origin is relatively high.

The entire colony (municipio) of Dona Francisca contains more than 30,000 inhabitants; the "Stadtplatz" about 6,000. In both, the inhabitants of Germanic origin form the great majority.

The colony of =Brusque=[30] was founded in 1860. Its early colonists were composed largely of former inhabitants of the Rheinland, Westphalia, Oldenburg and Baden. Next to Blumenau and Dona Francisca, Brusque is to-day the most important German colony in Santa Catharina.

In the territory not included in the "municipios" mentioned above, the larger part of the inhabitants of the following centers are of German descent: Angelina and Santa Thereza, both founded in 1853; Therezopolis, founded in 1860; Palhoça, Braço do Norte and Pedras Grandes.

Important numbers of Germans are located along the following rivers of Santa Catharina: Rio Itajahy do Sul; Rio das Tijucas; Rio Braço do Norte; and Rio Capivary.[31]

In point of numbers, Santa Catharina is next to the most important state in Brazil so far as German colonization is concerned.

RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

=São Leopoldo=, a state colony, was founded in 1824. The first settlers came from the Hunsrück section. To-day its population is estimated at more than 50,000, mostly of German descent.[32] We may designate São Leopoldo as the center of the "Deutschbrasilianerthum" of Rio Grande do Sul.

The state colonies of =Tres Forquilhas= and =São Pedro de Alcantara das Torres= were founded in 1826. The former was settled by German Protestants, the latter by German Catholics.

=Santa Cruz=, a state colony, was founded in 1849. Its first settlers were mainly from Pomerania and the Rheinland.

Next in order there followed an important period of private colonization. As a result of this we have =Rincão d'El Rei=, founded in 1850 by Dr. Israel R. Barcellos; =Mundo Novo=, founded in 1850 by Tristão José Monteiro; =Conventos=, founded in 1853 by Baptista F. Pereira e Cie.; =Estrella=, founded in 1856 by Santos Pinto; =Mariante=, founded in 1856; and =Maratá= founded in 1856 by Andreas Kochenborger and Pedro Schreiner.

In the year 1857 two provincial colonies were founded, i.e., =Santo Angelo= and =Nova Petropolis=.

The year 1858 marked the second period of private colonization. In that year =São Lourenço= was founded by Jakob Rheingantz. The first settlers of this colony were Pomeranians and natives of the Rheinland. In the same year =Teutonia= was founded by a group of capitalists of Porto Alegre.[33]

The last period of strictly provincial colonization is marked by the founding of =Monte Alverne= in 1859 and of =São Feliciano= in 1867.

In the most recent period a number of colonies supported by both the state and central governments have been founded. Of these the following have been settled largely by Germans; =Guarany=, founded in 1891; =Ijuhy=,[34] founded in 1891; and =Erechim=, founded in 1909.[35] In addition, Dr. Hermann Meyer's private colonies of =Xingú= and =Neu Württemberg= were founded in this period; the former in 1897 and the latter in 1899.

The German element is very strongly represented in the important cities of Porto Alegre and Pelotas as well as in the "municipios" of São João de Montenegro, São Sebastião do Cahy (now includes Nova Petropolis), Venancio Ayres, Lageado, Taquara, Cruz Alta and Palmeiro.

Rio Grande do Sul has a much larger population of German descent than any other state in Brazil. The main reason why so many Germans settled in this state we may attribute to the climatic conditions which are here more favorable to Germanic peoples than in any other section of the country.

AN ESTIMATE AS TO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF GERMANS IN BRAZIL.

It is impossible to make an exact statement as to the total number of Germans in the country. The reasons for this are not far to seek. The fact that an accurate census for Brazil does not exist is not surprising when we consider the enormous expanse of territory.[36] The greater part of this is but sparsely settled and largely covered with primeval forests. Official statistics, where they do exist are apt to have been carelessly compiled and often are entirely untrustworthy, "Paciencia," has been the watchword here as well as throughout all other walks of life in Brazil.

If we restrict ourselves to estimate, among the total of Brazilian citizens, those of any particular European origin, the difficulty increases. Here the census reports offer practically no help because all persons are listed simply as Brazilians, no reference being made as to their origin.

The primary sources in making up the estimates are furnished by the immigration reports as they are found in the "Ministerio da Agricultura" in Rio and the "Secretaria da Agricultura" of several individual states. Even here the statistics are inadequate for our purpose. As a rule only such colonists as came in third class on ships from Europe are listed.[37] In addition, it is impossible to determine how many colonists came by land (indirect immigration) from adjoining South American countries such, as Uruguay, Paraguay or Argentine.

The secondary sources, and the ones which in this instance are most valuable, are embodied in the estimates of former colonial directors and other officials, as well as private persons having first hand knowledge concerning the different European elements in Brazil.

The official data offered by the Bureau of Statistics of the "Ministerio da Agricultura" in Rio concerning immigration directly from Europe begins with the year 1820. That concerning immigration from Germany in particular begins with 1827. Official figures are available as to the number of immigrants from Germany from that date to the present excepting the years 1830-1836 inclusive, 1838, 1839, 1843, 1844, 1846, 1848 and 1849. The total is 128,233 up to the end of the year 1915.[38]

In order to determine the approximate numerical value of the German element in the population of Brazil, many estimates worthy of consideration have been compared. The estimates which in the opinion of the writer have the strongest claim to accuracy, are listed below. As will be seen, those determined upon by Friedrich Sommer, _Direktor_ of the "Banco Allemão Transatlantico" of São Paulo are largely followed. This authority has for years been making a careful study of the subject and consequently his conclusions bear particular weight.

Taking up the states in the order as previously, we have:

Bahia. No reliable estimates except as contained below
in "Northern and Central States."

Minas Geraes............... 5,000. Sommer.
Espirito Santo............. 25,000. Ludwig[39]
Rio (Fed. Dist.)........... 18,000. Sommer.
São Paulo.................. 32,000. Ibid.
Paraná .................... 35,000. Ibid.
Santa Catharina............ 100,000. Müller von Königswinter
Rio Grande do Sul.......... 250,000. Ibid.
Northern and Central States
(including Bahia)........ 10,000. Sommer.
________
Total...................... 475,000.

Making a fairly liberal allowance for underestimates, we may regard the number 500,000 as representing the total number of citizens of German descent in Brazil to-day.[40]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: _V._ Tootal, p. XCV.]

[Footnote 2: _V._ Klüpfel, pp. 121 and 162.]

[Footnote 3: _Cf._ Sommer: "Manoel Beckmann." _German American Annals._ New Series. Vol. 14, Nos. 5 and 6, 1916, pp. 189-196. Also Pereira da Silva: _Quadros_.... p. 111.]

[Footnote 4: _V._ Ludwig, p. 27.]

[Footnote 5: It is emphasized that only colonies (state, provincial, or private) in which the German element forms an important part of the population are noted.]

[Footnote 6: These are commonly designated as "Imperial Colonies."]

[Footnote 7: A comparatively very small number of Germans are located in the northern and western states of Brazil. They primarily follow business or professional careers and can hardly be classed as settlers. Consequently they do not come in consideration in this work.]

[Footnote 8: _Cf._ Sellin, _Das Kaiserreich Brasilien_, Vol. II, p. 80.]

[Footnote 9: Ibid.]

[Footnote 10: Formerly called "Philadelphia."]

[Footnote 11: _Cf._ Report of Pedro Rache, _Inspector do Serviço de Povoamento_, in _Relatorio._]

[Footnote 12: Koehler was born in Mainz in 1810. At the age of 23 he went to Brazil and soon became a naturalized citizen of the country. He entered the government service and was promoted to the rank of major in the engineering corps in 1842. Died in Petropolis in 1847.]

[Footnote 13: _Cf._ report of the inspector Antonio Ribeiro de Castro Sobrinho in _Relatorio._]

[Footnote 14: _V._ Marcondes de Souza: _O Estado de São Paulo_, p. 195. _Cf._ statement by Ernst Heinke in _Jahrbuch, Erstes_ ..., p. 250.]

[Footnote 15: I.e., lease of a section of land for the return of one-half of the yearly products.]

[Footnote 16: A Prussian ministerial decree (also adopted by other German states) forbidding the emigration of German citizens to Brazil. In 1896 it was revoked for the three most southern states of Brazil, i.e., Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina and Paraná.]

[Footnote 17: _Cf._ statements by C.F. Scheler in _Jahrbuch, Erstes_ ..., p. 175 ff.]

[Footnote 18: In 1828 according to Grossi, p. 168.]

[Footnote 19: Paraná was separated from São Paulo in 1853.]

[Footnote 20: _V._ Sellin, _Das Kaiserreich Brasilien_, Vol. II, p. 111.]

[Footnote 21: _Cf._ report of the inspector Manoel F. Ferreira Correia in _Relatorio._]

[Footnote 22: Information furnished by Johann Potucek, Austro-Hungarian Consul in Curityba.]

[Footnote 23: This is commonly referred to as the first colony in Santa Catharina. However, Grossi (p. 168) refers to a _Colonia Alemão o Conselheiro Pedreira_ (state colony) founded in 1827.]

[Footnote 24: Lacmann (p. 8) states that _Gross Itajahy_ was founded in 1829.]

[Footnote 25: Born 1819 at Hasselfelde in Braunschweig. Specialized in pharmacy. In 1849 came to Brazil and laid out plans for a colony. From 1850 to 1880 he was primarily occupied in directing the colony which bears his name. This colony was emancipated in 1880, but Dr. Blumenau remained on the scene of his former activities until 1884, when he returned to Germany. Died 1898.]

[Footnote 26: _V. Le Brésil Meridional,_ p. 309.]

[Footnote 27: The term "municipio" denotes a city or town together with the surrounding districts coming under the same jurisdiction; frequently (as used in this work) an emancipated colony.]

[Footnote 28: According to census of 1907 and calculations to date (September, 1916) in the archives at Blumenau.]

[Footnote 29: The term "Stadtplatz" as used by the colonists designates the seat or governmental center of a particular colony. Portuguese "sede."]

[Footnote 30: So named in honor of the president of the state at the time, Dr. Araujo Brusque.]

[Footnote 31: Information furnished by E. Bloch, _Engenheiro Chefe da Estrada de Ferro Santa Catharina._]

[Footnote 32: Grossi, p. 162.]

[Footnote 33: _Cf._ Ludwig, p. 84.]

[Footnote 34: A particularly strong current of German settlers has in recent years been moving into Ijuhy, mostly by indirect immigration.]

[Footnote 35: _Cf._ report of the inspector C. Lila da Silveira in _Relatorio_.]

[Footnote 36: About equal to that of the United States without the colonies and Alaska, but with the state of Texas doubled.]

[Footnote 37: The study of emigration reports in European archives does not help us much because by no means did all persons listed as emigrants for Brazil finally arrive in the latter country.]

[Footnote 38: In order to enable the reader to put a correct valuation on the popular bugaboo, the "perigo allemão" (German peril), the following facts are noted by way of comparison:

According to the statistics above referred to, the German immigrants occupy fourth place in point of numbers for the period 1820-1915, inclusive. They are superseded by:

a) Italians. First mentioned in the records 1836.
Total to 1862.................................... 209
Total to and including 1915...................... 1,348,777

b) Portuguese. First noted in 1837.
Total to and including 1915...................... 977,524

c) Spaniards. First noted 1841.
Total to 1868.................................... 274
Total to and including 1915...................... 470,107]

[Footnote 39: Dr. Ernst Wagemann, of the Kolonialinstitut, Hamburg, recently estimated the German population of Espirito Santo at 20,000-30,000, according to statements by W. Münzenthaler, German Consular-General in Rio.]

[Footnote 40: The above estimates refer to conditions at the end of 1915. The estimate for the total population of the country for that year was 23,000,000.]

=CHAPTER II.=

THE BRAZILIAN GERMAN DIALECT.

THE UNDERLYING BASIS AND REASONS FOR THE FORMATION OF THE DIALECT.

As may be inferred from chapter I, the German immigration into Brazil antedating the nineteenth century was quite insignificant. Beginning with the early years of that century, however, there was a steady current of new settlers from the German-speaking sections of Europe into the southern part of the country. The people who made up this current settled, particularly during the early years, in small, widely separated colonial nuclei where they found themselves more or less thoroughly cut off from the outside world and its influences. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that these people have developed a new dialect which we may call "Brazilian German."

The Germanic settlers from Europe who had come to Brazil found themselves located in surroundings radically different from the ones to which they had been accustomed in the land of their nativity. Physically they had to adapt themselves to a new climate. From the moment of their arrival on the parcel of land allotted to them they were in contact with many objects for which their mother tongue offered no designation. The animals, plants, insects and even the agricultural implements in the new home land had, to a large extent, names for which the German language offered no equivalent. As a result, many non-germanic words had to be immediately adopted.

In reference to the older colonies, the German-speaking immigrants from any particular section of Germany, Switzerland or Austria would more or less settle in a particular section of Brazil. Thus we have Petropolis in Rio de Janeiro settled by former inhabitants of the Coblenz district and Blumenau in Santa Catharina settled largely by Pomeranians. In a general way it may be stated that the older colonies were in this respect relatively homogenious, while those founded since the middle of the past century drew their settlers to a larger extent from different German-speaking sections of Europe.

The settlers, largely drawn from the agricultural class, naturally brought with them from Europe a variety of German dialects. These were more or less preserved depending on the relative isolation of the colonies. In cases where a considerable and constant influx of settlers either by direct or indirect immigration was kept up after the first years of the history of any particular colony the original dialect largely gave way to a modified form of High German, due primarily to the normalizing influence of the German school and church. Such is the case in the "Stadtplätze"[41] of Dona Francisca, Blumenau, Santa Cruz and São Lourenço.

The preceding statements are intended to present, as it were, the background or basis on which the new dialect was developed. We now come to the most potent influence in the formation of that dialect. It is the Brazilian Portuguese, a language which has no connection with the Germanic group. In this point, therefore, our case differs radically from that of the student of the German dialects which have been developed in North America.

The degree of linguistic influence exerted by the Brazilian Portuguese on the High German or its various dialects as spoken by the immigrants varies again according to the relative isolation of the settlements. We have degrees ranging from that of the old settlements in the Santo Amaro district of São Paulo,[42] where the German language has practically in its entirety given way to the Brazilian Portuguese, to that of some of the sections of the "municipios"[43] of Blumenau in Santa Catharina and São Leopoldo in Rio Grande do Sul where a modified German has not only held its own among the inhabitants of German extraction, but has also become the language of parts of the Luso-Brazilian[44] and negro elements as well.[45] About half way between these two extremes we might range the case of Petropolis in Rio de Janeiro.

BRAZILIAN GERMAN WORD FORMS.

The following general principles are observed in connection with the dialect which has been developed by the German element in Brazil.

Nouns form by far the greatest number of words taken over, followed next in order by verbs, exclamatory words and phrases, adjectives and adverbs. The last two appear relatively rarely.

OBSERVATIONS ON WORDS FROM THE BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE.

I. Nouns.

A. Masculines.

1) In the case of masculines the vowel ending is as a rule dropped, e.g.,