Nheengatu

Nheengatu (ñe’engatú)

Nheengatu is a Tupí-Guarani language with about 3,000
speakers in Brazil, 3,000 in Colombia and 2,000 in Venezuela.
In Brazil the language is spoken mainly along the Rio Negro,
and is also known as língua geral da Amazônia
or língua geral amazônica, or “Amazonian
General Language”. It is also known as nhengatu, nyengatú,
língua geral, geral or yeral.

Nheengatu developed from tupinambá, a language
spoken by the Tupi people on the north coast of Brazil in Maranhão
and Pará. It was standardised by Jesuit missionaries during
the 17th century and became the lingua franca throughout much of
Brazil between missionaries, settlers of European origin and the
indigenous peoples. Use of Nheengatu diminished after Portuguese
was imposed by the Marquis of Pombal in 1758 and the after the
Jesuits were expelled from Brazil in 1759, and also as a result
of increased immigration from Portugual Today Nheengatu has offical
status in municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira in
Brazil’s Amazonas State.

Nheengatu is closely related to Paraguayan Guaraní and
there is considerably mutually intelligibility between the two
languages.

Nheengatu alphabet

Nheengatu pronunciation

Sample text

Brasil, ker pi upé, coaracyáua,
Çaiçú í çaarúçáua çui ouié,
Marecê, ne yuakaupé, poranga.
Ocenipuca Curuça iepé!

Portuguese version

Brasil, um sonho intenso, um raio vívido,
De amor e de esperança à terra desce,
Se em teu formoso céu, risonho e límpido,
A imagem do Cruzeiro resplandece.

English version

Brazil, an intense dream, a vivid ray
of love and hope descends to earth
if in thy lovely, smiling and clear skies
the image of the (Southern) Cross shines resplendently.

Part of the Brazilian national anthem

Links

Information about Nheengatu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nheengatu_language
http://www.archive.org/details/nheengatu
http://tupi.wikispaces.com/nheengatu
http://www.staff.uni-mainz.de/lustig/guarani/lingua_tupi.htm
http://www10.gencat.net/pres_casa_llengues/AppJava/frontend/llengues_detall.jsp?id=178&idioma=5

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