Malalí language
Extinct Maxakalian language of Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malalí is an extinct Maxakalian language of Brazil, formerly spoken in the state of Minas Gerais. Little is known of Malalí other than a few wordlists recorded in the 19th century by European explorers; however, they reveal that Malalí was the most divergent member of the Maxakalían subgroup of the Macro-Jê languages.
| Malalí | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Minas Gerais |
| Ethnicity | 30 Malalí (1862)[1] |
| Extinct | late 19th century |
Macro-Jê
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | mala1432 |
Geographical distribution
Malalí was historically spoken in an area between the Jequitinhonha River, Araçuaí River, and Suaçuí Grande River near Minas Novas, Minas Gerais.[2]
Documentation
Two wordlists of Malalí were recorded in the early 19th century by Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied (1826) and Augustin Saint-Hilaire (1830). These form the only contemporary documentation of the language. Both wordlists are of extremely limited quality, however.[3]
Classification
Malalí has been shown to be the most divergent member of the Maxakalían language family. It is conservative compared to other members of the family, displaying certain phonological traits and sharing lexical retentions with Krenák, which have been lost in the other languages.[3]
Historically, the classification of Malalí was disputed, with scholars such as Rivet[4] and Loukotka[5] correctly placing Malalí in the Maxakalían family, while others, such as Curt Nimuendajú, treated it as a distinct language family instead.[6]
Phonology
Vocabulary
| Gloss | Malalí |
|---|---|
| God | tupán |
| church | tupánhué |
| fire | coiá |
| water | cheché |
| shirt | camisán |
| axe | pí |
| father | manaiamcá |
| mother | itá |
