The Azores Market in Fall River. Photo by the author.

Signage is one of the most obvious ways that a different culture presents itself in the American landscape.

We’re continuing our expedition to learn about a different culture, that of Portuguese Americans, and how aspects of that culture are visible in the landscape of southeastern New England. I’ve been taking pictures of these signs for many years, so not all are still present in the landscape.

There are numerous varieties of Portuguese signs. Some are in the Portuguese language only; some are dual language with the message in both English and Portuguese; some are English language signs using Portuguese grammatical constructions or literal translations of Portuguese idioms, and some are mixed language or hybrids, primarily in one language or another, but using an English or a Portuguese word. Such signs are a reliable indicator of all American ethnic neighborhoods and signs combining languages are evidence that cultural assimilation is well under way.

Chouriço is a type of spicy Portuguese sausage. Photo by the author.

On mixed language signs, distinctive words stand out, such as linguiça and chouriço, types of Portuguese sausage. A sign at a tavern in Fall River reads ‘Billy’s Fish and Chips — The Best Chourico in Town.’ It gives its ethnic clue with a single word. Ethnic names and names that are cultural icons, such as Fatima or Sagres, as we saw in earlier posts, are a subcategory of such signs provided that the observer recognizes Portuguese cultural icons and given names and surnames.

A mixed language sign. Photo by the author.

Above is a store with an English name but its sales pitch for its great variety of quality Portuguese bread and pastries is given in Portuguese. Although that phrase is a hybrid too because pastry in Portuguese would be pastéis or pastelaria.

A single preposition can give an ethnic clue. Photo by the author.

Another example of a single word, in this case a preposition, giving us an ethnic clue. (De means ‘of.’)

Translating an idiom. Photo by the author.

Some signs in English with unfamiliar grammatical structure or word usage reveal their origin in an attempt at a literal translation from the Portuguese. A shop sign in Fall River, ‘Gilda’s Place of Bridals,’ is an example of such a literal translation from the Portuguese name for a wedding apparel store, Casa das Noivas, literally ‘brides’ house.’

A shoe store in New Bedford. Photo by the author.

One of my favorite signs is of a ‘Portuguese Shoe Store.’ Obviously the store sells many kinds of shoes other than those made in Portugal, but the sign gets the message across.

Hybrid spelling. Photo by the author.

Spelling used in signage provides additional cultural clues. Words may look odd to both the Portuguese and non-Portuguese observer. Words on signs may be spelled in accordance with English usage or Portuguese usage. Few signs have all the accent marks common to the Portuguese language. But even Portuguese language signs may use Anglicized spelling. An example is the word ‘Portuguese’ itself, which, correctly spelled in Portuguese, is Português, lacking the final ‘e’ used in English. One Fall River restaurant has a subtitle on its sign (above) that says Portuguese Restaurante. Perhaps the owner thought that customers would recognize the Portuguese spelling of restaurant but also thought that it would look odd to English-speaking customers to exclude the final ‘e’ on Portuguese.

Another wall of the Azores market. Photo by the author.

The Açores Market (photo above and another at the top of this post) uses the Portuguese spelling of Azores including an almost unnoticeable cedilla on the ‘c.’ The nine islands of the Azores are painted on two sides of the building.

OK, if I’m not going to VIS-U-ALL, I won’t park here. Photo by the author.

Interesting semantic structures abound. The warning sign, ‘Don’t park in this (parking) lot,’ is translated into Portuguese as Não parque neste parque. This is an example of a homonym, the appropriation of an English word into Portuguese because it sounds similar to the Portuguese. Parque is pronounced similarly to ‘park,’ but in formal Portuguese it is a noun that has traditionally meant ‘park’ in the sense of a recreational patch of greenery and not parking lot. The word has also worked its way into the language of American Portuguese as a verb meaning to park a car. And it’s simpler than the Portuguese word for ‘parking’ which is estacionamento!

Portuguese spoken here. Photo by the author.

Sometimes the observer needs a sharp eye to see the hints of cultural hybridization. Many stores post a sign that states ‘Nos Falamos Português’ — ‘We Speak Portuguese.’ Interestingly, the phrase Nos Falamos Português, while formally correct in the Portuguese language, still reflects an Anglicization using English syntax. The phrase can be used as an answer to the question ‘do you speak Portuguese?’ directed to a group, but it’s improperly used in the context of the sign. The grammatically ‘proper’ usage would be Fala-sê Português, which is equivalent to ‘Portuguese spoken here.’

Such adoptions of English ways of combining words have been called ‘loan translations.’ Another example is the phrase escola alta, used by many Portuguese Americans to mean high school; literally, ‘a school at a high elevation.’ Often signs in the Portuguese American communities written in Portuguese, even in a formal context, contain some errors in spelling, grammar or diacritics. (For example, in the ‘no parking’ sign above, the tilde is erroneously placed over the ‘o’ rather than the ‘a.’) This is likely a reflection of the lesser years of formal education attained by many immigrants from Portugal. Because of the isolation and poverty of some areas of rural Portugal and the islands, many Portuguese born in Portugal have only a grammar school understanding of their written language.

Sausages and pork roasted in white wine and garlic! Is is lunch time yet? Photo by the author.

Food items are always a good indicator of an ethnic culture as on the sign above advertising various types of Portuguese sausage.

Signs in English, Portuguese and Spanish on a school in New Bedford. Photo by the author.

Americans are used to seeing signs in English and Spanish, but what would a visitor make of these three signs on a school in New Bedford? (The middle sign is in Portuguese.)

‘Please call, thank you.’ Photo by the author.

Signage can also give clues as to how ethnic neighborhoods are perpetuated. A sign in Portuguese advertising a vacant retail store for lease on a main street shopping district helps perpetuate the Portuguese nature of the shopping district. The building owner simply assumes the next tenant will be Portuguese-speaking. Non-Portuguese speaking observers of the sign would not understand it and thus would be unlikely to rent the vacant shop. The sign reads ‘Please call — thank you.’

An example of place name on a restaurant in Fall River. Photo by the author.

Ethnic clues can be found in signs that give place names. We’ve seen examples in earlier posts such as in the use of the name Sagres, the town at the southern tip of Portugal from which Prince Henry sent out expeditions. Here’s another — a sign for the Estoril Restaurant. Estoril is a coastal area near Lisbon known for its casino and luxury resorts and sometimes called the ‘Portuguese Riviera.’

Destinations advertised on travel agencies give a clue about the ethnicity of the clientele. Photo by the author.

Portuguese destinations on travel agency storefronts are another interesting example that provide additional landscape evidence of the Portuguese connections of the community.

I grew up in this area and in the Portuguese American culture. Now I’m a retired geography professor and I’ve outlined these ideas in detail in my book Making History — Creating a Landscape: The Portuguese American Community of Southeastern New England:

The author’s book available on Amazon.com: com https://www.amazon.com/Making-History-Creating-Landscape-Southeastern/dp/1722258462/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title