Salikoko S. Mufwene (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226126173
- eISBN:
- 9780226125671
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226125671.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
This book is about various linguistic aspects and consequences of the effective colonization of Latin America by Portugal and Spain since the dawn of the 16th century. It is about how Portuguese and ...
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This book is about various linguistic aspects and consequences of the effective colonization of Latin America by Portugal and Spain since the dawn of the 16th century. It is about how Portuguese and Spanish (then known only as Castilian) have both been influenced by their contacts with indigenous and other languages in their Iberian colonies, as well as how the indigenous languages in particular have also been affected by the colonial languages. The book provides novel perspectives onto how the European colonists first communicated with the Natives, onto the role played by the “factors,” missionaries, Mestizos, and Pardos as interpreters, and onto why one should not assume that jargons or pidgins emerged of necessity out of the initial inter-group contacts. Insights are likewise provided about the gradual ways in which Portuguese and Spanish spread, about how some major indigenous languages (such as Quechua and Tupinambá) at first benefited from the European colonization and from their adoption by missionaries as lingua francas for proselytizing, as well as about why some Native American languages are being threatened only now or don't appear to be (seriously) endangered yet. Throughout the volume, one has to ask who have been the actual agents and/or drivers of the changes that have affected both indigenous and initially exogenous languages, positively or negatively, in Latin America. And what are the relevant ecological factors that have triggered or simply borne on these evolutions? The subject of African substrate influence is also dealt with, alongside that of Italian adstrate influence on Argentine Spanish.Less
This book is about various linguistic aspects and consequences of the effective colonization of Latin America by Portugal and Spain since the dawn of the 16th century. It is about how Portuguese and Spanish (then known only as Castilian) have both been influenced by their contacts with indigenous and other languages in their Iberian colonies, as well as how the indigenous languages in particular have also been affected by the colonial languages. The book provides novel perspectives onto how the European colonists first communicated with the Natives, onto the role played by the “factors,” missionaries, Mestizos, and Pardos as interpreters, and onto why one should not assume that jargons or pidgins emerged of necessity out of the initial inter-group contacts. Insights are likewise provided about the gradual ways in which Portuguese and Spanish spread, about how some major indigenous languages (such as Quechua and Tupinambá) at first benefited from the European colonization and from their adoption by missionaries as lingua francas for proselytizing, as well as about why some Native American languages are being threatened only now or don't appear to be (seriously) endangered yet. Throughout the volume, one has to ask who have been the actual agents and/or drivers of the changes that have affected both indigenous and initially exogenous languages, positively or negatively, in Latin America. And what are the relevant ecological factors that have triggered or simply borne on these evolutions? The subject of African substrate influence is also dealt with, alongside that of Italian adstrate influence on Argentine Spanish.
Denny Moore
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780226126173
- eISBN:
- 9780226125671
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226125671.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Latin American Studies
The indigenous Tupian language spoken on the east coast of Brazil by the Tupinambá and other tribes at the time of contact by Europeans spread through the early colony of Brazil, becoming known as ...
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The indigenous Tupian language spoken on the east coast of Brazil by the Tupinambá and other tribes at the time of contact by Europeans spread through the early colony of Brazil, becoming known as the Brasílica. This language was an instrument in the conquest of Amazonia by Jesuits, colonial officials, and colonists, beginning in the 17th century. Its evolution over centuries was driven by economics, politics, religious expansionism, demography, geography, and technological change. Its adoption by speakers of other indigenous languages, including tribes that were ‘descended’ into captivity or semi-captivity, resulted in very rapid change in the language due to substratum effects. Lexical and grammatical borrowings from Portuguese increased in the last 120 years of the history of the language, by then known as Nheengatu or Língua Geral Amazônica. There was some model replication and structural diffusion from Portuguese occurring over the centuries. A brief sketch of the modern language is presented, with attention to the language contact effects exhibited in its structure. Aside from the Nheengatu dialect of the Upper Rio Negro, there are other dialects of the language and these are a priority for documentation.Less
The indigenous Tupian language spoken on the east coast of Brazil by the Tupinambá and other tribes at the time of contact by Europeans spread through the early colony of Brazil, becoming known as the Brasílica. This language was an instrument in the conquest of Amazonia by Jesuits, colonial officials, and colonists, beginning in the 17th century. Its evolution over centuries was driven by economics, politics, religious expansionism, demography, geography, and technological change. Its adoption by speakers of other indigenous languages, including tribes that were ‘descended’ into captivity or semi-captivity, resulted in very rapid change in the language due to substratum effects. Lexical and grammatical borrowings from Portuguese increased in the last 120 years of the history of the language, by then known as Nheengatu or Língua Geral Amazônica. There was some model replication and structural diffusion from Portuguese occurring over the centuries. A brief sketch of the modern language is presented, with attention to the language contact effects exhibited in its structure. Aside from the Nheengatu dialect of the Upper Rio Negro, there are other dialects of the language and these are a priority for documentation.
