O conceito de “Língua Geral do Brasil” revisitado à luz da linguística de contato

Abstract

In this study, we aim to: (i) revisit the various 'concepts' of Brazilian Língua Geral (LG) from current studies relating with language contact; (ii) present new reflections on the sociohistorical conditions involving this type of language; (iii) to support, through a combination of hypotheses, that proposal that LG may constitute a "creole"-type language and that, contrary to what is suggested in some texts of the specialist literature, LG relates to a process of contact of "newly created languages", and not "language shift". We also propose that the LG creole language be integrated in a pidgin-creole continuum departing from the Tupinamba language. In this sense, once again, we distance ourselves from the literature in the are, as we see Tupinamba not as sister-language of LG belonging to the Tupi-Guarani family (in accordance with historical-comparative linguistics), but as a pidgin language.

Keywords

• contact linguistics
• brzilian língua geral tupinambá
• pidgin-creole continuum