Paulista General Language
The Paulista General Language, also called Southern General Language and Austral Tupi, was a lingua franca and creole language formed in the 16th century, in the Captaincy of São Vicente. Today it is only of historical interest, as it has been a dead language since the beginning of the 20th century. It constituted the southern branch of the Língua Geral.
| Paulista General Language | |
|---|---|
| Austral Tupi | |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Paulistania |
| Ethnicity | Caipira |
| Era | 16th–20th centuries |
Tupian
| |
| Sources | Modern Paulista |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | tpw (used by Glottolog, retired by ISO) |
| Glottolog | tupi1274 |
With influence on Brazilian toponymy, the Paulista General Language bequeathed many current Brazilian toponyms, such as Aricanduva, Baquirivu-Guaçu, Batovi, Batuquara, Bicuíba, Biriricas, and others.
In 2014, during research at the University of Campinas, a new source of studies for the language was identified. The document, entitled Vocabulário Elementar da Língua Geral Brasílica (Elementary Vocabulary of the General Brasílica Language), was published in 1936 in the Journal of the Municipal Archive of São Paulo. Although the title mentions the Brasílica language (ancient Tupi), the vocabulary written by José Joaquim Machado de Oliveira is effectively one of the sources for the Paulista General Language.