Purian languages
The Purian languages are a pair of extinct languages, or dialects of a singular language, of eastern Brazil:
Coropó, once spoken in Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, was added by Loukotka, but removed again by Ramirez et al..
Purian was initially part of the Macro-Jê proposal. However, when Coropó is removed, there are not sufficient lexical connections to maintain this classification. Coroado and Puri are mutually intelligible with each other, and they are no longer regarded as being in the Macro-Jê family.
The Waitaká and Maromomin languages, both extinct, are possibly belonging to the Purian family, but this is not confirmable as no linguistic information was recorded.
Geographical distribution
The Purian languages were spoken in a continuous region stretching from the Preto River to the Paraíba River. The Puri occupied the Upper Paraíba do Sul River up to Queluz, São Paulo, and the Coroado from the Pomba River to the Doce River in Minas Gerais.Internal classification
Dialects
Mason lists the following dialects of Coroado and Puri:Other languages
Extinct and unknown languages that may have been Purian languages:- Caracatan - once spoken on the Caratinga River and Manhuaçu River, Minas Gerais.
- Bucan - found between Funil and Itacolumi near Mariana, [Minas Gerais].
- Arasi - in Minas Gerais, Serra Ibitipoca and near Barbacena.
- Bacunin - near the city of Valença and on the Preto River.
- Airuan - Minas Gerais, between the Piranga River and Branco River.
- Bocayú - on the Pomba River.
- Aripiado - in the Serra da Araponga, Minas Gerais.
- Aredé - between Itabirito and Espinhaço.
- Guaraxué - between Ouro Preto, Mariana and Piranga.
- Sacarú - state of Rio de Janeiro on the Paraíba River.
- Paraíba - state of Rio de Janeiro on the Paraíba River.
- Pitá - state of Rio de Janeiro, on the Bonito River.
- Xumeto - in the Serra da Mantiqueira, state of Rio de Janeiro.
- Guarú - south of the Pitá tribe, state of Rio de Janeiro.
- Lôpo or Rôpo - in the Serra de Abre Campo, state of Minas Gerais.
- Abatipó - once spoken on the Matipó River, Minas Gerais.
- Caxine - in the state of Minas Gerais between the Preto River and Paraíba River, and near Valença, Rio de Janeiro.
- Caramonan - state of Minas Gerais, between the Pomba River and Doce River.
- Waitaka or Goytacaz - formerly spoken on the São Mateus River and in the vicinity of Cabo de São Tomé, state of Rio de Janeiro.
Attestation
The Purian languages are only attested by a few word lists from the 19th century. The lists are:Puri:
- Martius, collected in 1818 at São João do Presídio.
- Eschwege, collected in 1815 near São João do Presídio
- Torrezão, collected in 1885 at Abre Campo
- Martius, collected in 1818 near São João do Presídio
- Eschwege, collected in 1815 near São João do Presídio
- Marlière, collected between 1817 and 1819 at missions along the lower Paraíba do Sul River
- Saint-Hilaire, collected in 1816 near Valença, Rio de Janeiro
Vocabulary
Loukotka lists the following basic vocabulary items.Proto-language
Silva Neto reconstructs 47 Proto-Purian forms. Reconstituted forms by Silva Neto for Puri, Coroado, and Koropó synthesized from historical sources are also provided.However, similarities in Koropó were later found to be loanwords by Ramirez et al., who classifies Koropó as Maxakalían. Nikulin also classifies Koropó as Macro-Jê.