Pomerano is spoken by around 250,000 people in Brazil. Prof Dr Göz Kaufmann is the main researcher for this language at the University of Freiburg and has collected his data in four Pomeranian-speaking regions in Brazil.

Pomerano is a Low German dialect and is the last actively spoken variety of the East Pomeranian dialects in the world. In the 19th century, many Pomeranos emigrated to Brazil due to economic hardship. Their descendants managed to preserve their linguistic heritage, despite the fact that the Brazilian government under Getúlio Vargas banned the use of German dialects (including Pomerano) in public during the Second World War. This led to a decline in the number of speakers.

Although there are already many Pomeranos who no longer speak their language fluently, especially younger generations, Pomerano is still a symbol of cultural identity amongst the Pomeranian communities in Brazil. These communities maintain a dual identity and value both Brazilian and their heritage German culture. The co-officialisation of Pomerano in several municipalities in Espírito Santo, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina along with the introduction of Pomerano into some schools has recently strengthened the cultural and linguistic identity of Brazilian Pomeranians.

Language family

Pomerano is a Indo-European language. In the following website you can find its detailed phylogenetic tree.

Linguistic structures and some examples of the language

Pomerano retains unique morphosyntactic features that differentiate it from standard German and other German dialects. These features have been documented through fieldwork and research. Below are two examples of the Pomerano language use.

1. hai däit brüla weege hai mud jeirer dag salade eeta er tut

   ‘He cries because he has to eat salad every day.’

2. wen ik ruutergå uut dem Huus dau ik immer d’lampe uutmåka

   ‘When I go out, out of the house, I always turn the lights off.’