Le langaige du Bresil is a vocabulary produced in the 1540s, considered the oldest substantial record of a Brazilian language, specifically of Old Tupi.[1] It is contained in a manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, cataloged as "Ms. Fr. 24269", from folio 53r to 54r, and presents 88 entries. Little is known about its compiler, a sea captain or voyage organizer, probably from Bordeaux or Rouen, named Jehan Lamy.
Le langaige du Bresil is important as it demonstrates social relations between the French and Brazilian indigenous people were not merely limited to commercial interactions, but, on the contrary, both peoples maintained intimate social contacts with each other.[2]
Context
The tribes that spoke Old Tupi were first mentioned during the discovery of Brazil in 1500, on the occasion of the voyage of Pedro Álvares Cabral, but such accounts did not include records of this language.[3][4] Toponyms, anthroponyms, as well as Tupi terms, can be found in early Portuguese shipping documents, such as those from the voyage of the ship Bretoa in 1511, which mention several çagoys or çagoyns (Callitrichidae).[3][5]
The manuscript is located in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, cataloged as "Ms. Fr. 24269".[17][18] Very little is known about its author, except he was a sea captain or voyage organizer, probably from Bordeaux or Rouen, named Jehan Lamy.[19][b] The document, originating from the 1540s and dated 1547,[21] contains a nautical compendium, a vocabulary of an African language spoken on the Pepper Coast (Liberia) identified as the "Kra language" (from folio 51r to 52r),[c] and a vocabulary of Old Tupi (from folio 53r to 54r).[17][19]
16th-century French accounts–based map of Guanabara Bay (colored)[24]
Le langaige du Bresil 's entries were probably collected in Guanabara Bay, similar to the few words recorded by Antonio Pigafetta.[17] It presents 88 items, although some words are repeated.[17][25] The indigenous expressions and words were placed on the left, and their French equivalents on the right.[26] There are no differences between medial "u" and "n" in the manuscript, and this absence makes it difficult to precisely understand what is written, at least in the entries in Old Tupi. There is also the possibility of errors in reading sequences involving the letters "i", "u" (or "n"), and "m".[27] Among the words recorded by Pigafetta, the vocabulary of Jehan Lamy includes "knife" and "scissors" (respectively spelled as taxe and pyrain by him, differently from the tacse[8] and pirame by Pigafetta).[7]
Le langaige du Bresil is roughly contemporaneous with the earliest Spanish records of Quechua, thus being one of the oldest documentary sources of any South American language.[28] Its existence has been known since at least 1916, when the work was cited by French historian Albert Anthiaume [fr].[29]
Vocabulary contents
The Old Tupi vocabulary compiled by Jehan Lamy holds historical importance in illustrating the social relations between French sailors and Brazilian indigenous people. When compared with the other vocabulary in the same manuscript, that is, of Kra, some relevant differences can be noted.[30]
Firstly, the Tupi vocabulary, with 88 items, is more extensive than the Kra vocabulary, which has 64 entries.[30] The terms convey, for example, individual contacts, friendly conversation, family and friendship ties, parts of the body, food, hunger and thirst, objects and clothing, as well as geographical and climatic notions. A single term designates a political institution, marbicha[31] (roy ; lit.'king').[d] Unfriendly expressions are fewer in number, and there are only two terms related to war, orapat[34] (ung arc ; lit.'a bow') and ououb[34] (des flesches ; lit.'arrows'). One of the indigenous words, imbo, has no equivalent in French, and it probably refers to a type of tree frequently mentioned in early sources, the imbu or Brazil plum, Spondias tuberosa.[26][35] There is a word, recorded twice in the slightly different forms macharron and marsarron, of presumed Portuguese origin, possibly borrowed from Portuguese machado, lit.'axe'; Lamy translates both as une hache, lit.'an axe'.[36]
Le langaige du Bresil appears to have been based mainly on non-commercial conversations; there are no references to brazilwood, which was the main product exported from the Brazilian coast at the time.[30] Furthermore, the existence of terms related to body parts and relationships[e] indicates a certain degree of intimate social contact (not necessarily always friendly).[17][38] Some entries refer to the society and culture of the Tupis, as well as others dedicated to the fauna and flora of Brazil.[17][39][f] On the other hand, the vocabulary of the Kra language primarily focuses on commercial interactions, emphasizing phrases related to negotiation and bargaining. There are no words related to African culture or society. Nor are there references to slaves or their trade.[39]
The greater extent of the Tupi vocabulary can be attributed to better linguistic and climatic conditions in the region where it was collected compared to the Guinea region. Indeed, it was easier for Europeans to settle on the Brazilian coast and stay there for a longer time, and the existence of a main language spoken throughout the area made it worthwhile to master it.[39] Variations in the spelling of Old Tupi found in documents from French travelers of the 16th century, such as André Thevet and Jean de Léry, seem to indicate these materials did not come from a common source but, on the contrary, from a historical context of social interactions with the indigenous people of Brazil.[40]
^The documented words are "knife" (in the original spelling tacse,[8] actually itakysé ),[9][10] "scissors" (in the original spelling pirame, actually pirãîa ),[11] "fishhook" (in the original spelling pinda, actually pindá ),[12] "flour" (in the original spelling hui, actually u'i ),[13] and perhaps "comb" (in the original spelling chigap,[8] actually kygûap ).[14] A sixth word that could raise doubts is "jingle bells" (in the original spelling hanmaraca, actually itamaraká ).[15] However, there are versions of the writing of Pigafetta where the variants itemnaraca, itenmaraca, and itanmaraca appear, confirming that it is indeed a Tupi word.[7][16]
^Sometimes identified as Jean Cordier; in this case, he is said to be a Rouennais.[20]
^Le langaige de Guynee is the title of this vocabulary.[22] Hair describes it as "Krao, or at least of one of the Kra languages".[23]
^Identified by Dalby & Hair as morubixaba,[32] the word literally means "chief of people" and was used to refer to tribal leaders.[33]
^For example, cheroup (mon pere ; lit.'my father'), ait (ma mere ; lit.'my mother'), and chiapt (les cheveux ; lit.'the head hair')[37]
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