Uruguayan Americans

Emigration From Uruguay

For more than a century after independence, Uruguayans did not immigrate to other countries very often; usually, Uruguay was a destination for immigrants. This changed in the mid-20th century, when the economic depression that began after World War II continued for a lengthy period of time, even after an initial recovery. Job crises and currency problems plagued the country in the Cold War years, and a dictatorial military regime had risen to power. For the first time, large numbers of people left the country; those who could afford to do so, for the most part, were the well-educated middle and upper classes, and young [Page 2129]people who could pursue an education elsewhere and then look for work.

This initial immigration made things in Uruguay worse, as the combination of the country's economic troubles and the sudden reduction in the population of well-paid taxpayers led to a shortage of funds in the social security system. This, in turn, both motivated further immigration and worsened the economic problems. Over the course of 25 years, about one-tenth of the population left the country, and only one-tenth of that tenth returned later (after receiving an education or earning money for one's family back home). This vicious circle continued throughout the 20th century, despite brief recoveries and occasional reforms.

Most Uruguayan émigrés left for Argentina, with which the country has many cultural and linguistic ties. Those who came to the United States settled in New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island, where existing South American communities could be found, or Florida, where there was a large Spanish-speaking community. A number of Uruguayan Americans have also settled in the Washington, D.C., area.

The dialect of Spanish spoken in Uruguay is Rioplatense Spanish, named for the viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata, of which Uruguay was part during the colonial era. The language is heavily influenced by the number of European immigrants to Uruguay after its independence. Like North America, Uruguay has a history and demographics shaped by massive waves of immigration in the 19th century. In the same way that the United States is no longer predominantly Anglo-American but has instead become a melting pot of other heritages, Uruguay also differs greatly from other South American countries whose citizens are still descended mainly from Spanish colonists and the indigenous population. Rioplatense borrowed and adapted many indigenous words, as most of the Spanish spoken in the Americas has done. Because of these two sets of influences, as well as local language evolution, Rioplatense includes a vocabulary of about 9,000 words that are not used elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world, many of them terms that are part of the average speaker's basic vocabulary.

...