Extinct Tupian language native to the indigenous peoples of southeastern Brazil
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Tupi
Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi, Classical Tupi, Tupinambá
Native to
Coastline of Brazil
Ethnicity
Tupinambá, Tupiniquim
Era
(survives as Nheengatu)
Language family
Tupian
Tupi–Guarani
Tupi
Writing system
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Variously: tpn – Tupinambá tpk – Tupiniquim tpw – Old Tupi (this code has been merged into tpn since 2022)
Glottolog
subg1261 Tupi + Omagua-Cocama
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Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (Portuguese pronunciation:[tuˈpi]) is a dead Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. In the words of Brazilian tupinologist Eduardo Navarro, "it is the classical indigenous language of Brazil, and the one which had the utmost importance to the cultural and spiritual formation of the country".[1]
Old Tupi belongs to the Tupi–Guarani language family, and has a written history spanning the 16th, 17th, and early 18th centuries. In the early colonial period, Tupi was used as a lingua franca throughout Brazil by Europeans and aboriginal Americans, and had literary usage, but it was later suppressed almost to extinction. Today, only one modern descendant is living, the Nheengatu language.
As the most important native language of Brazil, it is the origin of most city names of indigenous origin (Pindamonhangaba, Ubatuba, Botucatu, Jacareí). It also names several plants and animals, and many proper names are tupi names, such as Moacir, Iara, Iracema and Jandaia. It has a rich literature, which includes cathechisms, poems and plays.[2]
The names Old Tupi or Classical Tupi are used for the language in English and by modern scholars (it is referred to as tupi antigo in Portuguese). It has previously been known, in Portuguese, as língua brasílica "Brazilian language".
^Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida (2013). Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil (in Portuguese) (1st ed.). São Paulo: Global. ISBN 978-85-260-1933-1.
^Cite error: The named reference Navarro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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