Language The official language of Brazil is Portuguese. Brazilian-Portuguese is partially different from Portuguese spoken in Portugal. Many business men/women often speak at least a little English, and to avoid offending a party it is recommended to ask prior to a meeting if an interpreter is needed. Communication throughout Brazil can be both direct and indirect, depending on the situation; however, Brazil, along with the rest of Latin America, lean more towards indirect communication (khen-group.com). Indirect communicating relies on being less verbally explicit and proficient at reading non-verbal cues. Brazilians tend not to be blunt or give direct orders; rather, they tend to prefer acting what they mean and making compliments while softening the negatives. With indirect communication comes a reliance on facial expressions, tone of voice and/or gestures to fully convey the meaning of a message. Brazil has a high-context culture, which means they prefer smaller, close-knit groups, with a dependence on that groups support. Many collectivism-valuing societies have this in common. Groups are greatly valued, and to venture outside that group for support may prove difficult. Relationships are highly treasured, expected, and sought after. A Brazilian may be discouraged by people not looking for a closer relationship and staying in touch. Non-verbal Communication As mentioned earlier, being an indirect communicating society has a heavy reliance on facial expressions, gestures, posture, and stance. Proxemics During interactions it is normal for light touching and a close proximity to each other. Light touching includes areas such as hands, arms, shoulders. For Brazilians, a one to two foot separation between parties can be expected compared to a distance of about 4 to 12 feet for North Americans (culturecrossing.net). Don’t take a step back during conversations, because it is considered a rude gesture. Gestures Widely used gestures include: Rubbing two index fingers together to indicate a close relationship between two people (Fig. A); Gently pulling down the lower eyelid to indicate watchfulness or distrusting (Fig. B); The “thumbs up” gesture is similar, if not exact to the interpretation of an American (Fig. C); Depending on the situation, holding your hands in front of your body with your wrists loose and brushing your fingertips across each other can indicate not knowing or a lack of caring (Fig. D); Pretending to suck your thumb means that one has been forgotten/left-out or being disappointed. Kissing both cheeks is a common greeting used between family, friends, and acquaintances (culturecrossing.net). Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Posture Body posture may depend on situation, because of the use of body expressions to better communicate meaning of indirect communication.
Larry Rohter was a journalist in Brazil for 14 years and from his experiences he offers in this book some unique insights into Brazilian history, politics, culture and more. In 10 topical chapters Rohter’s easy-to-read book provides a look at Brazilian history and the extraordinary changes the country has undergone -- and is still undergoing. Rother covers many significant issues, but several stand out more than others. Namely: the country’s history, culture, politics, and finally its economy/natural wealth.
Brazil and the United States were both discovered and colonized by Europeans even though their population cultural patterns differ. The way that Brazilians and Americans relate to their families differ. While Americans are raised to be individualists, Brazilians are known to have a close-knit family; Consequently, supporting your family members in Brazil is considered an imperative value. As a result, young Americans achieve their independence much earlier than young Brazilians.
Due to its history Brazil is a multicultural country (intercultural disparity index of 143 = very high, based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions). Especially in the 19th and 20th centuries it attracted over 5 million European (mainly German, Poles, Italy, Portugal and Spain) and Japanese immigrants that today shape the culture of Brazil. Moreover, Brazil has a large black population, descended from African salves brought to the country in the 16th until the 19th century, mainly from Angora, Nigeria and Togo. Today the Japanese are the largest Asian minority in Brazil, and Japanese-Brazilians are the largest Japanese-population outside of Japan, accounting for appr. 1.5 million. The entire population speaks Portuguese while it is the only language used in schools. A moderate part of the Brazilians can speak English (mostly higher educated or people in high job positions) or any other second or third language. Some Brazilians may actually they take offence when talking to them in Spanish since they do not consider themselves as Hispanics. If foreigners try to learn Portuguese, it is often considered as a sign of sincere interest in the country's culture and therefore highly appreciated.
In conclusion, despite attempts to suppress the concept that racism exists from the public discourse, it is alive and flourishing in Brazil. Even though the persistence of inequalities between White and Black Brazilians can be attributed to a number of factors, the current status of Afro/ Black Brazilians can be seen as a by-product of its ancestry. Moreover, this racial democracy has had a negative impact to the extent that it has caused some Afro/ Black Brazilians to ignore their African heritage; this sense of denial continues to prevent them from identifying and embracing those belonging to the African community.
Now over the thousands of years Brazil has literally transformed into modern day. Brazil is the Federal Republic of Brazil. Brazil is in South America and is the largest country there. It’s the fifth largest country in the whole world. Brazil may be the fifth largest country but, it’s the sixth largest nation or population. The population in Brazil is 186 million and the life expectancy for men is 68 years old, for women its 76.
The arrival of the World Cup and Olympics will serve as a catalyst for Brazil to gain the recognition it desires. As enjoyable and lucrative as those years of international exposure have the potential to be, they will ultimately be short lived and fleeting in long term impact, unless the Brazilian government uses the platform afforded to it to set up long term plans to establish the “Brazilian Brand” in foreign markets. No where is this opportunity more readily available to the Brazilian government and private sector than the African continent. Long standing associations between the population of Brazil and the western coast of Africa, through the slave trade and natural migration, form an organic connection between the two entities that isn’t found in any other region of the world. With a majority Afro-decendant population and the largest concentration of individuals of African decent outside of Nigeria, Brazil is uniquely situa...
Brazil’s Atlantic Coastal Plain begins in the northeast of South America at Cabo San Roque and expands southward ending in Rio de Janeiro. The Coastal Plain is located between the Atlantic Coast and the escarpment which runs parallel to the plain. This area is characterized by its warm and humid climate which is ultimately considered tropical. Most climatic patterns have been influenced by the plains proximity to the Atlantic Ocean (Kent 236). The region’s precipitation is considered moderate with rainfall ranging from 1,300 mm to 1,600 mm; essentially the region has little to no real dry season (Kent 237)
Brazil’s population is 200.4 million and the official language is Portuguese, Brazil’s culture is widely diverse. The ethnic groups include Polish, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese. For instance, years of European domination in Brazil have brought thousands of slaves into the country to work. Favela (slums)
...e or the hand up to the wrist. Its application often signifies happy occasions, such as a marriage or the birth of a baby.
There are millions of blacks living in Brazil today because of the slave trade. It is rooted in African traditions from religion to music. Much like the caste system, Brazilians have over one hundred categories for their race. The people are many different shades of brown. Henry Gates when speaking of Brazil said, “It’s a hybrid nation and its people are descendants of African, European, and the original indigenous inhabitants (“Brazil: A Racial Paradise”).
He is seventy-seven. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. It is by the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil has a federal republic, constitutional republic and the presidential system. As a result Brazil has a interesting government.
Poverty is a dominant aspect to their social issues. Visitors of the country say that the poverty issue is quite visible. Brazil has slums in their metropolitan area, also known as “favelas”. There are also more remote areas with financially lacking families. However Brazil is working towards improving this with government funding and community programs to help aid the less fortunate, and to encourage young children to gain access to education, as it would aid in future income capabilities with a higher education. Crime can also be a major issue. Common forms include mugging, robbing, gang violence and kidnapping. Many citizens have issues with Brazilians form on law enforcement, which deters them away fro reporting things to the police. The government the created the National Public Security force to handle emergencies and crime instead of the
Good communication is an essentialvalue for successful relationships, whether personal or professional. Many researchers have stated that most of our communication is non-verbal. Non-verbal communication includes body language, facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, posture, and the tone of our voice. The ability to understand and use non-verbal communication is great skills that will help individualsconnect with others, when trying express feelings, handlingdifficultsituations and creating relationships with other in various places.Non-verbal communication is the body way of sending messages between people. These messages can be sent through emotions, gestures, engagement, voice tone, posture, and clothing.
Brazil is a diverse and enormous country. There are large, medium and small sized aities that stretch from coast. From Brazilian cit...
...tention to how people react to one another’s comments, guessing the relationship between the people and guessing how each feels about what is being said. This can inform individuals to better understand the use of body language when conversing with other people. It is also important to take into account individual differences. Different cultures use different non-verbal gestures. Frequently, when observing these gestures alone the observer can get the wrong impression, for instance, the listener can subconsciously cross their arms. This does not mean that they are bored or annoyed with the speaker; it can be a gesture that they are comfortable with. Viewing gestures as a whole will prevent these misunderstandings. Non-verbal gestures are not only physical, for example; the tone of voice addressing a child will be different from the way it is addressed to an adult.