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Portuguese dialect

Gaúcho

Also known as: Sulista, Southern Brazilian Portuguese

The Brazilian Portuguese of Rio Grande do Sul and southern Brazil. Distinct from northern Brazilian varieties, with strong Spanish (Rioplatense) and Italian/German immigrant contact features.

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Frequently asked questions

What language is Gaúcho?

Gaúcho is a dialect of the Portuguese language.

Where is Gaúcho spoken?

Gaúcho is primarily spoken in Brazil.

Which region is Gaúcho associated with?

Gaúcho is part of the Latin America & the Caribbean region on DialectAtlas.

Is Gaúcho known by other names?

Yes — Gaúcho is also referred to as Sulista, Southern Brazilian Portuguese.

What are the other dialects of Portuguese?

Portuguese also includes Mineiro, European Portuguese, Northern Portuguese, Azorean Portuguese, Paulistano, Carioca, Nordestino, Angolan Portuguese, Mozambican Portuguese. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.

Other Portuguese dialects

See on the atlas →
Mineiro

Belo Horizonte Portuguese

The Brazilian Portuguese of Minas Gerais and the surrounding interior. Distinguished by characteristic vowel reductions, monophthongisation of diphthongs, and a distinctive lexicon.

Carioca

Rio de Janeiro Portuguese · Fluminense

The Portuguese of Rio de Janeiro. Recognisable for its palatalised /s/ in coda position — a feature shared with Lisbon — and a distinctive intonation.

Nordestino

Northeastern Brazilian Portuguese

The Portuguese of Brazil's Northeast region around Recife, Salvador, and Fortaleza. Internally varied, with a distinct lexicon shaped by African and indigenous languages.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Hunsrik

40 km away

A German-derived minority variety spoken by descendants of nineteenth-century settlers in southern Brazil, especially Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná. It descends mainly from Hunsrück Franconian and has developed under long contact with Brazilian Portuguese.

Kaingang

509 km away

The largest southern Macro-Jê language, spoken across communities in Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. Around 30,000 speakers, with literary materials in Kaingang since the late 19th century.

Mbyá Guaraní

625 km away

A Guarani variety distinct from Paraguayan Guaraní, spoken by the Mbyá people across southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and north-eastern Argentina. The most widely spoken Indigenous Guaraní variety in Brazil.

Paraguayan Guarani

822 km away

The Guarani of Paraguay. A national co-official language alongside Spanish, used by a majority of the population, often code-mixed with Spanish (Jopará).

Rioplatense Spanish

843 km away

The Spanish of Argentina and Uruguay. Distinctive for its voseo verb forms, the sheísmo / zheísmo realisation of <ll>/<y>, and a strong Italian-influenced intonation.

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