Languages
More than 180 languages and dialects are spoken by the Indigenous peoples
in Brazil today. They are part of the near 6,000 tongues spoken today
in the world. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, however, only in
Brazil that number was probably close to 1,000.
In the process of colonization of Brazil, the Tupinambá language,
the most widely spoken along the coast, was adopted by many colonists
and missionaries, taught to Indians grouped in the missions and recognized
as Língua Geral (General Language). Today, many words of Tupi
origin are part of the vocabulary of Brazilians (general
languages).
Just as the Tupi languages have influenced the Portuguese spoken in
Brazil, contact among peoples ensures that Indigenous tongues do not
exist in isolation and change constantly. In addition to mutual influences,
languages have among themselves common origins. They are part of linguistic
families, which in turn can be part of a larger division, the linguistic
branch (diversity). And just as languages are
not isolated, neither are their speakers. In Brazil there are many Indigenous
peoples and individuals who can speak and/or understand more than one
language; and it is not uncommon to find villages where several tongues
are spoken (multilinguism).
Among such diversity, however, only 11 Indigenous languages are used
by more than 5,000 speakers in Brazil: Baniwa, Guajajara, Kaingang,
Kayapó, Makuxi, Sateré-mawé, Terena, Ticuna, Xavante,
Yanomami and Guarani – the latter being spoken by a population
of approximately 30,000 people. In contrast, some 110 languages have
less than 400 speakers.
Getting to know this vast repertoire has been a challenge to linguists
(the work of linguists). To keep it alive
and well has been the goal of many projects of Indigenous school education
(school and writing).
In order to know which languages are spoken by each one of present-day
Brazil’s 227 Indigenous peoples, access General
table.
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