Italian & Portugese Lexical Similarities

Yeah, ritual sacrifices were very chic.

Yeah, inquisitions and burnings at stake were very chic.

Ritual sacrifices are more chic, they are more primitive.

Pyramids are more better than castles.

Better for what? Castles were defensive buildings since wars were very frequent.

Wars were very frequent, how sophisticated!

Thanks to that they developed new weapons which used to conquer America. It was not in vain.

<< Madame Bachelet va travailler sur ceci! < What language is this? >>

Is it French?

While I fully agree with Toninho, I don't think that
in the United States slavery lasted a lot longer than in Brazil
but that slavery was abolished in the USA sometime before.

In the 50's Argentina was among the most developed nations on earth while Spain was third world. The Argies were understandably looking down at Spain.
Now things have changed. Argentina has suffered terrible economical crisis while Spain is emerging as one of the world's wealthiest countries. Spanish per capita GDP is now higher than Italy's and will possibly overtake Germany and France in the years to come (well, as long as the real estate bubble doesn't burst). Spain is the model and enjoys the highest respect in Latin America. Spanish companies (Telefònica and others) and banks are ruling in Argentina as they do in Chile, Mexico, Venezuela etc.
People regret that their grand-grand-fathers left Spain or Italy...
Now lots of Argies are applying to be given back Spanish or Italian citizenship. In Madrid and Milan you can meet crowds of re-immigrants from Latin America.

''My guess is that some Brazilians just don't like themselves so they blame Portugal. How stupid. Portugal and the Portuguese are doing just fine wherever they are in the world. Brazilians should focus on bettering themselves first before laying blame elsewhere.''

Try watching the American documentary called ''Manda Bala'' (Award for best Documentary on Sundance Film Festival, 2007). Portugal is to blame for problems in Brazil because Brazil was an exploration colony not a inhabitation colony (like USA). All goods were transferred to Portugal, no local commerce or production were allowed. Education in colony was forbidden. UK opened many universities in today's US (Yale, Harvard...) First universities in Brazil were opened 200-300 years after, when Brazil was independent. Because of that, spoken Brazilian Portuguese changed dramatically compared to the Continental Portuguese (meaning most Brazilians find it easier to understand spoken Latin Spanish than Continental Portuguese, see encyclopedia Britannica for more details). After independence, Portuguese slave owners became the white elite; slaves became poor people living in slums. And middle class was made of nonPortuguese immigrants to Brazil, especially Italians. So, São Paulo's industrial success is due to Italian immigrants and not due to Portuguese efforts. São Paulo is the heart of Brazilian economy, and if it weren't for this Italian-flavored city, Brazil would be as poor as Guatemala or Guyana.
Most people in São Paulo have an Italian last name, they adore Italian food, Italian music (Laura Pausini is the most famous nonBrazilian star in Brazil; while artists from Portugal are ignored) and the accent of the city of São Paulo has Italian, singing intonation (intonation is close to Buenos Aires Spanish, another Italian influenced accent).

The official abolishment of slavery in Brazil was in 1830 - In the U.S.A. it was 1862. As I said before, slavery was a lot more inhumane and ruthless in the U.S.A. than anywhere else. And let's not forget that there was still rampant, socially sanctioned racism in the U.S. up until the late 60s, hence the 'Civil Rights Movement'.

Milton, you are another Portuguese basher. Italian is not the language of Brasil, is it? I agree with Toninho: the Portuguese were far less harsh toward the slaves than the Americans were. And for all those American universities you speak of, there are STILL millions of impoverished, disenfranchised Afro-Americans, and STILL too many Afro-American ghettoes. Oh, you forgot! Stop making the U.S. out to be something it is not! And American spoken English changed a lot too - so what? You make it sound as though the Italian immigrants were responsible for all of Brazil's economic success. What about the Germans, Ukrainians, Polish, Spanish, Japanese, middle-eastern immigrants etc., etc. Finally, what about the millions and millions of Portuguese who always comprised the majority of the Europeans in Brazil? Were they all elites, as you say? Some yes, but not all. The Portuguese also contributed to Brazil's development in every way through sweat. You are narrow minded if you think that the Italians are the only ones who know how to work. The Portuguese are highly respected and admired all over the world, especially for their strong work ethic, strong sense of family and mild manners. They don't have to defend themselves. How dare you put dwn the Portuguese. To say that one European coloniser was good and another was bad makes no sense at all. Good or bad, don't you forget that Brazil would not be Brazil today without the Portuguese. To deny your roots is to deny yourself. Whether or not you realize it, it only looks bad on you. But you are in the minority, as most Brazilians don't feel the way you do. I know this because I myself am Brazilian, and I know how my compatriots from all walks of life feel. People are too busy working and surviving to be worrying about being anti-Portuguese. I am a Brazilian whose great grandparent's were Portuguese. I certainly don't agree with your views, although at one time I admit I did, a little bit. But I've seen the error of my ways. One must learn and look forward, not backward.

Why do Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries tend to be neighbors? In Europe Portugal is close to Spain, and Brazil is surrounded by Spanish speaking countries.

Portugal is a nice country.
The bridgehead of Brazilian culture in Europe.
:-)