CONTRIBUTIONS MADE by the PORTUGUESE to the DEVELOPMENT of BANTU LINGUISTICS BETWEEN 1500 and 1917 Prof L.J

CONTRIBUTIONS MADE by the PORTUGUESE to the DEVELOPMENT of BANTU LINGUISTICS BETWEEN 1500 and 1917 Prof L.J

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY THE PORTUGUESE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BANTU LINGUISTICS BETWEEN 1500 AND 1917 Prof L.J. Louwrens* In hierdie artikel gee Prof L.J. Louwrens, verbonde aan die Departement van Afrikatale aan die universiteit van Suid-Afrika, 'n oorsig van die bydraes wat die Portugese tot Bantoe-Iingu"istiek gemaak het. Die betrokke periode strek oor 'n tydperk van ongeveer vier eeue, en die artikel weergee hoogtepunte soos die eerste Portugese kontak met die Bantoe in 1471, die bydraes gemaak deur Jesu"iete-sendelinge (veral in die 17de eeu) en die belangrike Portugese studies van Bantoe-tale in die 19de en 20ste eeue. In sy artikel benadruk Prof Louwrens deurgaans die reuse bydrae van die Portugese tot die vestiging van Bantoe-Iingu"istiek in Afrika. Introduction First records of Bantu The contributions which the Portuguese have In a letter by Diogo d'Alcac;ova to the King Dom made to the development of Bantu linguistics Manuel dated 20 November 1506, words are extend over a period of approximately four cen- found in the Portuguese orthography referring to turies which commenced as early as 1550 (cf. what is known today as Karanga and Zimbabwe. Johnston (1919:2), lasting until as recently as the d'Alcac;ova also mentions the title of the local first quarter of the twentieth century. (Cf. ooke king to be Menamotapam. The king's first name (1945:63)). is rendered in six different ways: Ouesarimgo, Ouesarymgo, Ouecarynugo, Ouecarimugo, Oue- According to ooke (1969:2), the Portuguese carinuto and Ouecarinugo. This king's father is must have first made contact with the Bantu referred to in two different ways, i.e. Mocomba or when they crossed the equator in 1471. He ob- Mocombo. Similar words were documented by serves, however, that although the first contact Affonso de Albuquerque in a letter to the King must have been made between Portuguese ex- from Goa in India dated 25 October 1514, and plorers and the Bantu on the west coast of by Duarte Barbosa in 1516 (Cf. ooke (1969: 3)). Africa, the earliest records of Bantu words which were kept, were from the East African coast. Of these early records, Johnston (1919:2) re- ooke notes that this can be easiliy explained if it marks as follows: is remembered that the purpose of the initial Portuguese explorations was to establish a link "As early as 1505 but chiefly between the mid- with India. On the east coast they encountered dle of the sixteenth century and 1760, Portu- severe opposition from Arabs, which forced guese soldier-explorers and missionaries put them to establish strongholds at places such as into their writings numerous phrases from two Sofala, Kilwa and Mozambique. Trading posts East African Bantu tongues: Kararia ("Moca- were also established on the Zambesi at Tete ranga") and Swahili. The amount of the former and Sena, as well as in the more isolated re- language which can be gleaned from these gions of Masapa, Bukoto and Luanze. early records of Portuguese expeditions in Zambezia and on the Sofala coast is consider- As regards the first Bantu words recorded by able ... " Portuguese explorers, ooke (1969:3) remarks as follows: In 1560 the Jesuit missionary Father Gonc;alo da "Prior to 1550 practically all the Bantu words Silveira landed at Sofala. ooke (1969:4) de- recorded in Portuguese sources seem to be scribes some of Silveira's experiences as fol- confined to place and personal names. There lows: are references to "Monomotapa", "Zimbab- "Silveira landed at Sofala in 1560 and after a we", and the coastal towns of Sofala, Kilwa, short stay proceeded further north, up the Mozambique, etc., though these latter, Kilwa Zambesi to Tete and further westward to the excepted, are hardly of Bantu origin." village of the "Monomotapa", where he was 29 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za martyred on March 16th, 1561. In that short ions and adverbs and a page of phrases in Port- time he seriously studied both Tonga and Ka- uguese and Sena. I ranga. In a letter addressed to the "Fathers and Brothers of the college at Goa" he records The contributions made by the Portuguese dur- the name of God as Umbe (cf. Hlangane dia- ing the seventeenth century are of particlar inter- lect Illumbe). In an account "of the voyage of est to Bantuists, since the first two books ever to Father Dom Gonc;:aloto the Kingdom of Mono- be published on Bantu languages appeared motapa and of his happy passing away", com- during this period. The first Bantu publication of piled on the instructions of the Father Provin- which we have record and which is mentioned cial from various witnesses in 1561, several by Ooke (1935:87) is Cardoso's translation into Bantu words occur, including the following: Congo of Jorge's, Ooutrina Christaa. It was engangas "wizards who cast lots with four printed in Lisbon in 1624, and Ooke character- sticks" (cf Shona nanga 'diviner'), morefos ises Cardoso's work as "the first bit of continuous "nobles of the kingdom" (cf. Shona murefu'a Bantu of which we know". He summarises its tall person'), moroo "wizard" (cf. Shona muroyi contents as follows: 'wizard', 'witch'); encoces "principal lord" "It is a catechism which is written throughout which must be connected with the nguni terms in Portuguese with an interlinear translation in inkosi 'chief'." Congo." Other early records mentioned by Ooke (1969:4-5) are those of Father Andre Fernan- Cardoso was born in Lisbon in 1584 and entered dez in 1562, Father Monclaro in 1572 and Fr. the Jesuit order in 1598 at a very early age. After Joano dos Santos in 1586. completing his studies at Evora, he was sent to the Congo to preach the Gospel. Here he be- came rector of the college of San Salvador and The seventeenth century died on 20 October 1625. Ooke (1935:88) quot- Towards the third quarter of the seventeenth ing Barbot (1688) remarks as follows about this century the Portuguese had established them- college: selves for a considerable period at posts such "The Jesuits have a college where they daily as Sena and Tete on the Zambesi river. This teach and instruct the blacks in the Christian demanded the presence of priests for the minis- faith, in an easy and winning method. There tration of the Christian gospel, who of necessity are also schools where youths are brought up turned their attention to the Bantu languages. and taught Latin and Portuguese." In this regard Ooke (1935: 102) mentions a publication by P.P. Schebesta which appeared In this regard The New World Encyclopaedia in "Anthropos" under the German title: Eine (1963, Vol. 7, p. 328) states the following: Bantu-grammatik aus dem 17 Jahrhundert. This comprised a Portuguese manuscript entitled: "Moreover Jesuit missionaries were sent to all Arte da lingua de Cafre which Schebesta dis- corners of the earth, and wherever they went covered in the Bibliotheca Nacional d'Ajuda in they carried with them learning and culture, Lisbon among a number of Jesuit manuscripts. besides the spiritual message of their Church. Thus they sent missionaries to China and' The document consisting of 42 pages was un- Japan, Brazil and the Portuguese settlemel)ts dated, but was among other documents of the in India, the Phillipine Islands, California and year 1680. Ooke (1935: 102-103) describes the Ethiopia, and not seldom suffered martyrdom. contents of this manuscript as consisting of a few general notes on the pronouns equivalent to Since the Jesuits played a major role in the the Portuguese 1st., 2nd. and 3rd pers. singular earliest records of Bantu we know of, it is inter- and plural and their use with verbs. Then ex- esting to note the following about them: The amples of various possessives with nouns are Jesuit order was founded in 1534 by the Spa- given, as well as some demonstratives and ad- niard Ignatius Loyola. The training of a Jesuit. jectives in concordial agreement with nouns. lasted a considerable period. The New World The great bulk of the work is taken up by tense Encyclopaedia (1963, Vol. 7, p. 327) reports after tense of the verb set out for each of the as follows in this regard: three persons in Portuguese and Sena following the classical paradigm of moods and tenses. "In the training of a Jesuit, soon after his The manuscript ends with some further notes on novitiate begins, 30 days are spent in medita- possessives, certain remarks on some preposit- tion on the Spiritual Exercises, a manual which 30 Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 18, Nr 3, 1988. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za the founder himself composed; they are sys- According to Werner (1919:5) a copy is still to be tematic presentations of the truths of religion, found in the library of the British Museum and arranged so as to appeal both to the head and she remarks as follows: the heart, and so to strengthen the will of the "In the library of the British Museum is a cu- student and purify his motives in submission rious little book - with Southey's autograph, to God and love of Christ. The novitiate lasts 2 dated 'Keswick, 1810' on the title page - years, and then simple vows of poverty, chas- printed in 1642 and containing a short exposi- tity, and obedience are taken. Those who are tion of elementary Christian doctrine in the to be priests then do 2 or 3 years of philos- form of a dialogue, in the language of Angola, ophy, 5 years teaching in one of the society's with a Portuguese version on the opposite schools, 4 years of theology, and, after an page, and a few introductory hints (in Portu- interval of several years, they have another guese) on pronunciation and grammar." year of probation (tertianship).

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