Brinton.J oO [Oct. 2, 



Algonkin or Nahuatl, it yet seems to present unmistakeable 

 signs of both an incorporative and polysynthetic character such 

 as would be difficult to parallel outside of America. 



I am encouraged to maintain this by the recent example of the 

 erudite Dr. Amaro Cavalcanti, himself well and practically versed 

 in the spoken Tupi of to-day, who has issued a learned treatise 

 to prove that " the dialects spokea by the Brazilian savages 

 present undoubtedly all the supposed characteristics of an 

 agglutinative language, and belong to the same group as the 

 numerous other dialects or tongues of America."* Dr. Caval- 

 canti does not, indeed, distinguish so clearly between agglutina- 

 tive and incorporative languages, as I should wish, but the trend 

 of his work is altogether parallel to the arguments I am about 

 to advance. 



Fortunately, we do not suffer from a lack of materials to study 

 the Tupi, ancient and modern. There are plenty of dictionaries, 

 grammars and texts in it, and even an " Ollendorff's Method," 

 for those who prefer that intellectual (!) system, f 



All recent writers agree that the modern Tupi has been 

 materially changed by long contact with the whites. The traders 

 and missionaries have exerted a disintegrating effect on its 

 ancient forms, and often directly in the line of erasing their 

 peculiarities, to some of which I shall have occasion to refer. 



Turning our attention first to its synthetic character, one can- 



* The Brazilian Language and Us Agglutination. By Amaro Cavalcanti, LL.B., 

 etc., p. 5 (Rio Janeiro, 1883). 



fThe most valuable for linguistic researches are the following: 



Arte de Grammatica da Lingua wris usada na Costa do Brazil. By Joseph de 

 Anchieta. This is the oldest authority, Anchieta having commenced as mis- 

 sionary to the Tupis in 1556. 



Arte, Vocabutario y Tesoro de la Lengua Guarani, 6 mas bien Tupi. By Antonio 

 Ruiz deMontoya. An admirable work representing the southern Tupi as it 

 was in the first half of the seventeenth century. 



Both the above have been republished in recent years. Of modern writings 

 I would particularly name : 



Aponlamentos sobre o Abaheknga tambem chamado Guarani ou l^upi. By Dr. B. 

 C. D'A. Nogueira (Rio Janeiro, 1876). 



O Selvagem i Curso da Lingua Geral. By Dr. Couto de Magalhaes (Rio de 

 Taneiro, 1876). 



