Doctoral Dissertation Research: Descriptive and Comparative Study of Akuntsu

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This project supports the fieldwork and research for Carolina Aragon's doctoral dissertation to produce a comprehensive grammar of Akuntsú, a Tupían language spoken by monolinguals in Rondônia, Brazil. Until recently the Akuntsú people were an isolated indigenous group, but now, because of a genocidal massacre, there are only five remaining speakers. This has left Akuntsú a critically endangered language. This project's main goal is to provide a comprehensive grammar of the language which will be informed by language typology and current linguistic theory. The grammatical description of Akuntsú will contribute to our understanding of the typological traits of the Tuparían subfamily and to linguistic typology in general. Ultimately it will also contribute to the reconstruction of Proto-Tuparían, with implications for Proto-Tupían. Other documentary materials will also be produced; for example, important aspects of Akuntsú culture and history that have survived despite of the traumatic past will be recorded and archived. Documentation and production of linguistic, ethnographic, and lexicographic materials will be important not only to represent the structure of the language, but also to reveal the way that Akuntsú people see and understand their world. As part of a long-term goal, pedagogical materials will be created and the dictionary will be expanded ultimately to produce a talking dictionary.By studying a group that still lives as its ancestors did, this project will provide contributions for scientific fields interested in the study of Amazonian native inhabitants and their cultural diversity. The general public will also benefit from having access to data and materials which will not only be relevant for linguistics, but also to scholars interested in learning more about Brazilian indigenous languages, society, and culture.