Language

Introduction 

How could language constitute a challenge when reading records created in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese native-speaking countries? Most researchers might assume that fluency in speaking or reading Portuguese would be enough to interpret records of genealogical value. However, as people start reading older records, they quickly find out that the documents are not written in a pure standard form of Portuguese but in a variety of Portuguese influenced by local dialects and other languages, particularly Latin, which was the main literary language used by Catholic priests.

Because rules regulating the spelling and grammar of Portuguese did not become more available and widespread until approximately the 19th century and because most people write the way they speak, spelling will prove a real challenge when reading old Portuguese documents. Adding to this challenge are factors such as the influence of Latin on the spelling of Portuguese words and the several variations of Portuguese and the differences among them, such as differences in pronunciation resulting in different spellings. For example, the interchangeable use of /i/ and /y/, and /s/ and /z/:

Portuguese Around the World

Portuguese is the official language of at least seven different countries worldwide. It is the national language of Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, and Guinea-Bissau, while sharing a co-official title in many other countries. Because of the distance between regions, variations of the language occurred and still occur today.

The Effect of Language Diversity on Records 

This language diversity affected the spelling and grammar of records all throughout the Portuguese world to various degrees. Below is an example of an 1875 Brazilian marriage record (top) compared with an 1874 Cape Verdian marriage record (bottom). Although many differences exist within the Portuguese language, we can see from reading both records that understanding the written word of different regions is still manageable.

Brazil 1875

Cabo Verde 1874