Tupian languages explained

Tupian
Region:	Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, North-East Argentina, Southern Colombia, Northern Peru
Familycolor:	American
Fam1:	Je-Tupi-Carib?
Protoname:	Proto-Tupian
Iso2:	tup
Iso5:	tup
Glotto:	tupi1275
Glottorefname:	Tupian
Child1:	Tupi–Guarani
Child2:	Arikem
Child3:	Awetï
Child4:	Mawé
Child5:	Mondé
Child6:	Mundurukú
Child7:	Puruborá–Ramarama
Child8:	Tuparí
Child9:	Yurúna
Map:	Tupi languages.png
Mapcaption:	Tupi–Guarani (medium pink), other Tupian (violet), and probable range ca. 1500 (pink-grey)

The Tupi or Tupian language family comprises some 70 languages spoken in South America, of which the best known are Tupi proper and Guarani.

Homeland and urheimat

Rodrigues (2007) considers the Proto-Tupian urheimat to be somewhere between the Guaporé and Aripuanã rivers, in the Madeira River basin. Much of this area corresponds to the modern-day state of Rondônia, Brazil. Five of the ten Tupian branches are found in this area, as well as some Tupi–Guarani languages (especially Kawahíb), making it the probable urheimat of these languages and maybe of its speaking peoples. Rodrigues believes the Proto-Tupian language dates back to around 3,000 BC.

Language contact

Tupian languages have extensively influenced many language families in South America. Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Arawa, Bora-Muinane, Guato, Irantxe, Jivaro, Karib, Kayuvava, Mura-Matanawi, Taruma, Trumai, Yanomami, Harakmbet, Katukina-Katawixi, Arawak, Bororo, Karaja, Macro-Mataguayo-Guaykuru, Takana, Nadahup, and Puinave-Kak language families due to contact.

History, members and classification

When the Portuguese arrived in Brazil, they found that wherever they went along the vast coast of South America, most of the indigenous peoples spoke similar languages. Jesuit missionaries took advantage of these similarities, systematizing common standards then named línguas gerais ("general languages"), which were spoken in that region until the 19th century. The best known and most widely spoken of these languages was Old Tupi, a modern descendant of which is still used today by indigenous peoples around the Rio Negro region, where it is known as Nheengatu (pronounced as /[ɲɛʔẽŋaˈtu]/), or the "good language". However, the Tupi family also comprises other languages.

In the neighbouring Spanish colonies, Guarani, another Tupian language closely related to Old Tupi, had a similar history, but managed to resist the spread of Spanish more successfully than Tupi resisted Portuguese. Today, Guarani has seven million speakers, and is one of the official languages of Paraguay. The Tupian family also includes several other languages with fewer speakers. These share irregular morphology with the Je and Carib families, and Rodrigues connects them all as a Je–Tupi–Carib family.^[1]

Rodrigues & Cabral (2012)

Rodrigues & Cabral (2012) list ten branches of Tupian, which cluster into Western Tupian and Eastern Tupian.^[2] Within Western and Eastern Tupian, the most divergent branches are listed first, followed by the core branches.

• Tupian
  • Western Tupian
    • Arikém (2 languages)
    • Tuparí (6 languages)
    • Mondé (6 languages)
    • Puruborá
    • Ramaráma (Rondônia) (2 languages)
  • Eastern Tupian
    • Yurúna (Jurúna) (3 languages)
    • Mundurukú (2 languages)
    • Mawé
    • Awetï
    • Tupi–Guarani (50 languages: Tupí [extinct], Guaraní (5 million speakers), etc.)

Meira and Drude (2015) posit a branch uniting Mawé and Aweti with Tupi-Guarani, also known as Maweti-Guarani.^[3] Purubora may form a branch together with Ramarama.

Jolkesky (2016)

Internal classification by Jolkesky (2016):^[4]

(† = extinct)

• Tupi family
  • Arikem
    • Arikem
    • Karitiana
  • Monde
    • Paiter
    • Monde, Nuclear
      • Monde
      • Cinta-Larga-Zoro
        • Arua
        • Cinta-Larga
        • Gavião

Zoro

• • Ramarama-Purubora
    • Purubora
    • Ramarema

Karo; Urumi

• • Tupari
    • Makurap
    • Tupari, Nuclear
      • Sakurabiat-Akuntsu
        • Akuntsu
        • Sakurabiat
      • Kepkiriwat
      • Tupari
      • Wayoro
  • Tupi, Nuclear
    • Juruna
      • Juruna
      • Manitsawa
      • Shipaya
    • Munduruku
      • Kuruaya
      • Munduruku
    • Mawe-Aweti-Tupi-Guarani
      • Satere-Mawe
      • Aweti-Tupi-Guarani
        • Aweti
        • Tupi-Guarani (see)

Galucio et al. (2015)

Galucio et al. (2015) give the following phylogenetic tree of Tupian, based on a computational phylogenetic analysis.^[5]

• Tupian
  • Western (40.6% probability)
    • Karo

Puruborá

• • • Mondé
      • Suruí
      • Nuclear Mondé
        • Salamãy
        • Aruá

Gavião, Zoró

• • Eastern (40.6% probability)
    • Arikém
      • Karitiána
    • Tuparí
      • Makuráp
      • Nuclear Tuparí
        • Akuntsú, Mekéns
        • Wayoró, Tuparí
    • Mundurukú
      • Mundurukú
      • Kuruáya
    • Jurúna
      • Jurúna
      • Xipáya
    • Mawetí–Guaraní
      • Mawé
      • Awetí–Guaraní
        • Awetí
        • Tupí–Guaraní
          • Parintintín
          • Tapirapé

Urubú-Ka'apór, Paraguayan Guaraní

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items.^[6]

Language	Branch	head	ear	tooth	hand	one	two	three
Tupi	Tupi	a-kang	nambi	táña	pó	peteĩ	mokoĩ	mbohapüi
Tupinamba	Tupi	a-kán	nambü	ráña	pó	angepé	mokoin	musaput
Potiguára	Tupi	a-kanga	nambi	tañha	in-bó	oyepe	mokoy	mosapür
Ñeéngatu	Tupi	a-kanga	namü	taña	pó	yepé	mokoin	musapeire
Guaraní	Guaraní	ãkan	nambi	apen-kun	pó	peteí	mokói	mbhápira
Apapokúva	Guaraní				pó	aépi	mokõi	moapi
Chiripá	Guaraní	rakã	nambi			aépi
Cainguá	Guaraní	aká	nambi	kú	pó	petein	mókoin	mbohapi
Mbyhá	Guaraní	che-ahká	chen-nambüh	che-rain	cheh-pó	peteí	mokoi	mboapü
Canoeiros	Guaraní	eaushmã			de-pó
Shetá	Guaranized	sh-aka	che-nambi	tienai	che-pó	matinkam	mokoi	ñiiru
S. Dourados	Guaranized	ñ-ãka	elaːme	nénai	eː-po	uaːi	moːgai	mágatei
Guayaquí	Guaranized	ni-aka	nambi	ã	i-pá	eteyã	meno	tanã
Tapirapé	Tapirapé	dzyane-akánga	dzyane-inamí	dzyane-roi	dzyane-pó	anchepé	mukúi	mãpít
Kamayurá	Kamayurá	ye-akang	ye-nami	ye-nai	ye-po	yepete	mokoi	moapit
Awití	Kamayurá	apot	inte-yambe	inte-ngu	i-po	mayepete	monkói	munitaruka
Arawiné	Kamayurá		ne-nami		ye-po
Anambé	Pará	a-kánga	hä-nambi	se-raña	pó	yanäpo	mukuẽ	muhapi
Takuñapé	Pará
Guajajára	Northern	akã	sane-inamú	e-rai	sane-pó	metéi	mukúi	nairúi
Tembé	Northern	he-akã	he-nami	he-rái	he-pó	petei	mokui	moãpi
Manajé	Northern	he-akü	he-namí	he-rĩ	he-pó	chipei	mokú	moapi
Turiwára	Northern	ne-akánga	ne-nami	ne-ráĩ	ne-pó	petei	mokoi	moapiri
Kaapor	Northern	ne-kang	nambi	ne-roi	n-pó	petei	mukoin	oapíre
Makirí	Central I	ai-akáng	ái-namí	ái-ráing	ái-pó	aipité	mokoíng	moapét
Kayabí	Central I				parmió	oyepa	mokoi
Kawahyb	Central I	ae-akáng	ae-namí	ae-rái	ae-po	oyepé	mokõi	irumaé
Parintintin	Central II	ae-akáng	ae-nambí	ae-rai	ae-po	eyepé	mokoĩ
Wiraféd	Central II	ai-akán	ai-namí	ai-rai	aí-po	ayipe	mokoi
Takwatíp	Central II	ai-kánga	ai-nami	ai-rain	ai-pó	ayepeːi	mokoːin
Dawahib	Central II	ay-akan	ay-nambí	ay-rãi	ay-põãpká
Catuquinarú	Central II	taka-sú		saña	punü
Oyampi	Guiana	ea-kang	i-nami	e-ráñ	né-po	pesi	mukugue	mapur
Emerillon	Guiana	é-ankang	é-námi	é-rai	é-po	mozepé	mokoñe	maʔapuit
Apiaká	Guiana	ai-kana	ai-nembía	ai-raña	ai-poa	mayupé	mokõñ	boapui
Omagua	Amazonas	yakó	námi	sáy	póa	wépi	mokwéshe	mosapröke
Cocama	Amazonas	yakö	námi	dzái	púwa	wípi	mokoíka	motsapwöka
Cocamilla	Amazonas	yákö	námi	tsái	púa	uípi	mokuíka	motsapölika
Chiriguano	Chiriguano	ankã	námbi	hai	de-pó	penti	mbokui	mbapui
Guarayo	Chiriguano	che-ãka	che-nambí	che-raí	che-pó	nyepeĩ	nyuenió	mosapĩ
Pauserna	Chiriguano	aká	nambi	rahü	póo	monopedo	mokóe	hebü
Tapieté	Chiriguano	y-anka	ya-nimbi	ya-ninay	ya-ndepo	penté	monké	maʔap
Chané	Chiriguano	se-ãká	se-ndambí	se-rãi	se-pó	mompetí	mokoi	mboapi
Siriono	Chiriguano	e-ãnkĩ	e-isa	e-rẽy	e-o	ekomiĩ	nedemu	dedemu
Joka	Chiriguano	ãcha				ká	déchatu
Yuruna	Yuruna	se-tabá	yashiugá	se-yan	uvá	duáyo	nauá	nauámbo
Shipaya	Yuruna	tabá	enshugá	oayá	uvuá	memé	bidá	mévau
Manitsauá	Yuruna		naibuá	huangá
Mundurucú	Mundurucú	waá	wa-naibé	woi-noi	wo-ipo	pantá	shepsheptá	chebapitá
Curuaya	Mundurucú	uása	uampí	ñai	bi	dá	porákã	teboazem
Mawé	Mawé	u-yakída	u-yahapé	u-háĩ	u-ipó	endup	tépui	muén
Itogapúc	Itogapúc	n-aká	n-akiribe	yãi	parobé	mutírem	yagarekóm	pairóbtem
Ramarama	Itogapúc		n-akiribé	niãng	i-pabé
Urumí	Itogapúc	in-aká	in-akurape		i-pabe	uenakaveu	ishirange	itamaiun
Urukú	Itogapúc	óña-áká	on-aküravé		i-pábe	motírem	yegárokum	pagodnóbtem
Arara	Itogapúc					motürem	yegárkom	koirẽm
Arikém	Arikém	a	risába	ñãya	pu	mundápa	patám	moyúm
Caritiana	Arikém		risopo	noñno
Macuráp	Macuráp	wakaräte	ua-pishevéta	u-ñamñem	owõte	uéreːket	nemtuté
Kanua	Macuráp	ki-aneːm	uwa-pitát	ki-nyai	o-po	kitsä	türü	kwaikärum
Guratégaja	Macuráp	ki-anäm	kí-apitát	ki-nyai	ki-puaná	kitsä	teːre	kwaikiä
Kabishiana	Macuráp			niaín	o-popí
Wayoro	Macuráp	yá	ne-vapáp	o-nyain	o-pitab	kiét	derät	wärehät
Apichum	Macuráp		o-pitab	o-nyon	o-nebo
Tupari	Macuráp	ápaba	ábtsi	ñain	poː	kíäm	hürü	hürünoːm
Kepkeriwát	Kepkeriwát	u-akãin	u-apiá	i-ñãin	ba	pangue	xatéte	sete-pangue
Mondé	Mondé	a-ndará	u-nanimbé	u-im	amba-bé	amakim	parasherám	paiwutwuy
Sanamaica	Mondé	hũ-ndáa	nambiap	h'-ĩn	hũ-mábé	mún	palisharú	waikun
Aruá	Mondé	pan-at	pan-itiwä	pan-yĩn	pan-awä	miːn	busá	wauːm
Digüt	Mondé	pan-dát	ním-piab	nĩ	babé
Aruáshi	Mondé		sham-yaküb	shon-yain	bu

Language	Branch	woman	water	fire	stone	maize	tapir
Tupi	Tupi	kuñá	ü	tatá	itá	abai	tapüíra
Tupinamba	Tupi	kuñá	ü	tatá	itá	auvati	tapirusu
Potiguára	Tupi	kuña	üü	tataː	itaː
Ñeéngatu	Tupi	kuñan	üüg	tatá	itá	auati	tapira
Guaraní	Guaraní	kuñá	ü	tatá	itá	avatí	tapií
Apapokúva	Guaraní	kuña	ü	tatá
Chiripá	Guaraní		ü	tata		avati	mborevi
Cainguá	Guaraní	koñá	ü	tatá	itá	avachi	mborevi
Mbyhá	Guaraní	kuña	ü	tatá	itá	avachi	tapií
Canoeiros	Guaraní	uainvi	üg		itá	avashi
Shetá	Guaranized	kuñá	ü	tată	itá	avachi	tapi
S. Dourados	Guaranized	koːña	hoːñe	agel'á	iːtá	nutya	telaːgoi
Guayaquí	Guaranized	kuña	ü	dadá	itá	waté	mberevi
Tapirapé	Tapirapé	kudzá	ü	tatá	itá	awachí	tapiíra
Kamayurá	Kamayurá	kuña	ü	tata	ita	avatsi	tapiít
Awití	Kamayurá	kuñá	ü	tara	ita	avachi	tapií
Arawiné	Kamayurá
Anambé	Pará	kuña	ü	tata	ita	awat	tapiri
Takuñapé	Pará	kuñá		tatá	ika		tapií
Guajajára	Northern	kuñã	ü	tatá	itá	awachí	tapiíra
Tembé	Northern	kuzá	ü	tatá	itá	awachi	tapihir
Manajé	Northern	kuyi	ü	tatá	itá	awachí	tapihi
Turiwára	Northern	kuñá	üa	tatá	itá	awachi	tapiíra
Kaapor	Northern	kuza	üg	tata	itá		tapira
Makirí	Central I	kuñá	ih	tatá		avatí	tapiít
Kayabí	Central I	kuñá	auü	tatá		uachi
Kawahyb	Central I	kuñá	ü	tatá		abachi	tapiít
Parintintin	Central II	kuñá	iü	tatá	itakí	avaté	tapiíd
Wiraféd	Central II	kuñá	üü	tatá	itá	abasí	tapiít
Takwatíp	Central II	kuñá	üa	tatá		abatí	tapi
Dawahib	Central II	kunya	üü	tatá	itá		tapiíra
Catuquinarú	Central II		uhehü
Oyampi	Guiana	nimene	heː	tata	ita	abati	tapiira
Emerillon	Guiana	waimid	ih	tata		auasi
Apiaká	Guiana	koñá	ih	tatar	ita	auasi	tapüra
Omagua	Amazonas	uainú	úni	táta	itáke	awáti	tapíra
Cocama	Amazonas	wáina	úni	táta	itáki	abati	tapíra
Cocamilla	Amazonas	wáina	úni	dzata	idzáki	awáchi	tapíra
Chiriguano	Chiriguano	kúña	ü	tatá	itá	avatí	mboreví
Guarayo	Chiriguano	kuñá	ü	tatá	itá	avatí	mborevi
Pauserna	Chiriguano	ekúre	ü	tatá	itá	ahuati
Tapieté	Chiriguano	tapipé	ö	tata	itakí	oati	orebi
Chané	Chiriguano	arekóva	ü	tatá	íta	avatí	boreví
Siriono	Chiriguano	kuña	ine	tatén	ita	ibashi	eãnkwãntoy
Joka	Chiriguano	etú	in	tatá	yiwit	yuáshi	ngitíd
Yuruna	Yuruna	kuñá	iyá	ashí	koapá	makatí	tõá
Shipaya	Yuruna	uamiá	iyá	ashí	kuapasá	makati	masaká
Manitsauá	Yuruna	kuñá	hidarú	hadzú	ita	maidzú
Mundurucú	Mundurucú	awiyá	hü	tasha	witáa	muirará	piho
Curuaya	Mundurucú	áu	ü	titi	wítaʔa	mára	bíu
Mawé	Mawé	oñañá	üü	äria	no	awatí	wewató
Itogapúc	Itogapúc	mapái	ichi	chaná	iyá	nayá	iti
Ramarama	Itogapúc	mapoia	utii	tianá	iá	nanian	nató
Urumí	Itogapúc			shamon		noiábá
Urukú	Itogapúc	vochái	ichí	chaná	yáa	náya	natoː
Arara	Itogapúc
Arikém	Arikém	uspára	esé	somi	isoá	ngiyó	iruba
Caritiana	Arikém	bisam	seː	isoː	pomo		irípo
Macuráp	Macuráp	arapíñam	ihi	ucha	éki	atiti	yahi
Kanua	Macuráp	anamína	äkü	itaːtʔ	heːk	atsitsi	kwayatsu
Guratégaja	Macuráp	anamina	iki	utaːt	äk
Kabishiana	Macuráp		ikí
Wayoro	Macuráp	aramirá	ögö	agukáp	äk	atití	ikuáit
Apichum	Macuráp	anamina	ügükap	äkügükab	äk
Tupari	Macuráp	ãramĩrã	yü	koːbkaːb	äk	opab	takara
Kepkeriwát	Kepkeriwát	buhi	amãni	garämbi	ok	zyaoːpá	uíto
Mondé	Mondé	manzet	ü	kaing	ek	maikeː	uasá
Sanamaica	Mondé	chipakchí	ü	kaːi	ä	maʔä	waːsaː
Aruá	Mondé		ü	kaʔin	äk
Digüt	Mondé	manzéyã	ipáva	pokáing	dzáb	máinkin	wachá
Aruáshi	Mondé	mansät	ü	kain	äk

See also

• Apapocuva
• Indigenous languages of the Americas
• Languages of Brazil
• Língua Geral
• List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin

Further reading

• Rodrigues, Aryon Dall'Igna (2007). "As consoantes do Proto-Tupí". In Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral, Aryon Dall'Igna Rodrigues (eds). Linguas e culturas Tupi, p. 167–203. Campinas: Curt Nimuendaju; Brasília: LALI.
• Ana Vilacy Galucio & al., “Genealogical relations and lexical distances within the Tupian linguistic family,” Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas 10, no. 2 (2015): 229–274.
• Ferraz Gerardi, F., Reichert, S., Blaschke, V., DeMattos, E., Gao, Z., Manolescu, M., and Wu, N. (2020) Tupían lexical database. Version 0.8. Tübingen: Eberhard-Karls University.

Lexicons

• Alves, P. (2004). O léxico do Tupari: proposta de um dicionário bilíngüe. Doctoral dissertation. São Paulo: Universidade Estadual Paulista.
• Corrêa Da Ssila, B. C. (2010). Mawé/Awetí/Tupí-Guaraní: Relações Linguísticas e Implicações Históricas. Brasília: Universidade de Brasília. (Doctoral dissertation).
• Landin, D. J. (2005). Dicionário e léxico Karitiana / Português. Cuiabá: SIL.
• Lévi-Strauss, C. (1950). Documents Rama-Rama. Journal de la Société des Américanistes, 39:73–84.
• Mello, A. A. S. (2000). Estudo histórico da família lingüística Tupí-Guaraní: aspectos fonológicos e lexicais. Florianópolis: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. (Doctoral dissertation).
• Monserrat, R. F. (2000). Vocabulário Amondawa-Português, Vocabulário e frases em Arara e Português, Vocabulário Gavião-Português, Vocabulário e frases em Karipuna e Português, Vocabulário e frases em Makurap e Português, Vocabulário e frases em Suruí e Português, Pequeno dicionário em Tupari e Português. Caixas do Sul: Universidade do Caixas do Sul.
• Monserrat, R. F. (2005). Notícia sobre a língua Puruborá. In: A. D. Rodrigues & A. S. A. C. Cabral (eds.), Novos estudos sobre línguas indígenas, 9–22. Brasília: Brasilia: Editor UnB.
• Pacheco Ribeiro, M. J. (2010). Dicionário Sateré-Mawé/Português. Guajará-Mirim: Universidade Federal de Rondônia.
• Rodrigues, A. D. (2007). As consoantes do Proto-Tupí. In: A. S. A. C. Cabral & A. D. Rodrigues (eds.), Línguas e culturas tupí, 167–203. Campinas: Curt Nimuendaju.
• Rodrigues, A. D.; Cabral, A. S. (2012). Tupían. In: L. CAMPBELL & V. GRONDONA, (eds.), The indigenous languages of South America: a comprehensive guide, 495–574. Berlin/ Boston: Walter de Gruyter.

External links

• TuLaR (Tupían Language Resources)
• Swadesh lists of Tupi–Guarani basic vocabulary words (from Wiktionary's Swadesh-list appendix)
• "A Arte da Língua Brasílica", grammar of Tupi, by Father Luiz Figueira, in Portuguese

Notes and References

1. Rodrigues A. D., 2000, "‘Ge–Pano–Carib’ X ‘Jê–Tupí–Karib’: sobre relaciones lingüísticas prehistóricas en Sudamérica", in L. Miranda (ed.), Actas del I Congreso de Lenguas Indígenas de Sudamérica, Tome I, Lima, Universidad Ricardo Palma, Facultad de lenguas modernas, p. 95–104.
2. Rodrigues, Aryon Dall'Igna, and Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral (2012). "Tupían". In Campbell, Lyle, and Verónica Grondona (eds). The indigenous languages of South America: a comprehensive guide. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
3. Meira, Sérgio and Sebastian Drude (2015). "A preliminary reconstruction of proto-Maweti-Guarani segmental phonology". Boletim do Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, série Ciências Humanas, 10(2):275–296.
4. Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho De Valhery. 2016. Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Brasília.
5. Galucio. Ana Vilacy. Meira. Sérgio. Birchall. Joshua. Moore. Denny. Gabas Júnior. Nilson. Drude. Sebastian. Storto. Luciana. Picanço. Gessiane. Rodrigues. Carmen Reis. Genealogical relations and lexical distances within the Tupian linguistic family. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas. 10. 2. 2015. 229–274. 1981-8122. 10.1590/1981-81222015000200004. 11858/00-001M-0000-0028-D677-B. 85725271 . free.
6. Book: Loukotka, Čestmír . Čestmír Loukotka . Classification of South American Indian languages . registration . UCLA Latin American Center . 1968 . Los Angeles.