Guido Marlière’s “Portuguese-Botocudo Vocabulary”: Contribution to the Study of a Language From the Macro-Je Group

Abstract

Among the various vocabularies of the languages ​​of the indigenous populations of the Rio Doce valley, one in particular remains unpublished: a manuscript dated February 4, 1833 entitled “Vocabulário Português-Botocudo”, written by Guido Tomás Marlière, former director of the Indians of the province of Minas Gerais. It is, in fact, a vocabulary of the Krenak language, the last representative of the Botocudo linguistic family, belonging to the Macro-Jê branch, within which it would be in a relatively isolated situation. It is important to notice that it was prepared by an individual who acquired knowledge of the Krenak language in direct contact with the speakers. Marlière's Botocudo vocabularies constitute one of the earliest records of the language and are frequently mentioned by later scholars.