Lexical Phylogenetics of the Tupí-Guaraní Family: Language, Archaeology, and the Problem of Chronology

Lexical Phylogenetics of the Tupí-Guaraní Family: Language, Archaeology, and the Problem of Chronology | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Lexical Phylogenetics of the Tupí-Guaraní Family: Language, Archaeology, and the Problem of Chronology Fabrício Ferraz Gerardi, Tiago Tresoldi, Carolina Coelho Aragon, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Jun, 2023 Read the published version in PLOS ONE → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Tupí-Guaraní is one of the largest branches of the Tupían language family, but despite its relevance there is no consensus about its origins in terms of age, homeland, and expansion. Linguistic classifications vary significantly, with archaeological studies suggesting incompatible date ranges while ethnographic literature confirms the close similarities as a result of continuous inter-family contact. To investigate this issue, we use a linguistic database of cognate data, employing Bayesian phylogenetic methods to infer a dated tree and to build a phylogeographic expansion model. Results suggest that the branch originated around 2500 BP in the area of the upper course of the Tapajós-Xingu basins, with a split between Southern and Northern varieties starting around 1750 BP. We analyse the difficulties in reconciling archaeological and linguistic data for this group, stressing the importance of developing an interdisciplinary unified model that incorporates evidence from both disciplines. Linguistics History tupi-guarani phylogenetics historical linguistics amazonian languages Full Text Declarations Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Jun, 2023 Read the published version in PLOS ONE → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-1675247","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":107420148,"identity":"77459ad3-12a4-460e-bd9e-72eb4373667d","order_by":0,"name":"Fabrício Ferraz Gerardi","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fabrício","middleName":"Ferraz","lastName":"Gerardi","suffix":""},{"id":107420587,"identity":"c64dcc51-37fd-43d0-bd52-1ddb2b2f2be9","order_by":1,"name":"Tiago Tresoldi","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2863-1467","institution":"Uppsala Universitet","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tiago","middleName":"","lastName":"Tresoldi","suffix":""},{"id":107420588,"identity":"b436dad7-36cf-4824-ac63-71642c0fa200","order_by":2,"name":"Carolina Coelho Aragon","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9459-9939","institution":"Universidade Federal da Paraíba","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carolina","middleName":"Coelho","lastName":"Aragon","suffix":""},{"id":107420589,"identity":"43cbf1b7-c30b-4057-8976-418940a1c934","order_by":3,"name":"Stanislav Reichert","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8330-1954","institution":"Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stanislav","middleName":"","lastName":"Reichert","suffix":""},{"id":107420590,"identity":"56cae36a-87c9-4056-82f8-c7aeeb1d5e9d","order_by":4,"name":"Jonas Gregorio de Souza","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6032-4443","institution":"Universitat Pompeu Fabra","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jonas","middleName":"Gregorio","lastName":"de Souza","suffix":""},{"id":107420591,"identity":"048876db-d723-4ff7-9569-f1e2dd6e1eb0","order_by":5,"name":"Francisco Silva Noelli","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0267-583X","institution":"Universidade de Lisboa","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Francisco","middleName":"Silva","lastName":"Noelli","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2022-05-20 04:41:54","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272226","type":"published","date":"2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":21725031,"identity":"9a984124-4565-4822-8561-0c61dc6cee7b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-05-20 20:51:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2832884,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"TGPLOS1preprint.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1675247/v1_covered.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eLexical Phylogenetics of the Tupí-Guaraní Family: Language, Archaeology, and the Problem of Chronology\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Full Text","content":"This preprint is available for \u003ca href='/article/rs-1675247/latest.pdf' target='_blank'\u003edownload as a PDF\u003c/a\u003e."},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eCompeting interests: The authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"University of Tübingen","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"tupi-guarani, phylogenetics, historical linguistics, amazonian languages","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTupí-Guaraní is one of the largest branches of the Tupían language family, but despite its relevance there is no consensus about its origins in terms of age, homeland, and expansion. Linguistic classifications vary significantly, with archaeological studies suggesting incompatible date ranges while ethnographic literature confirms the close similarities as a result of continuous inter-family contact. To investigate this issue, we use a linguistic database of cognate data, employing Bayesian phylogenetic methods to infer a dated tree and to build a phylogeographic expansion model. Results suggest that the branch originated around 2500 BP in the area of the upper course of the Tapajós-Xingu basins, with a split between Southern and Northern varieties starting around 1750 BP. We analyse the difficulties in reconciling archaeological and linguistic data for this group, stressing the importance of developing an interdisciplinary unified model that incorporates evidence from both disciplines.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Lexical Phylogenetics of the Tupí-Guaraní Family: Language, Archaeology, and the Problem of Chronology","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2022-05-20 20:50:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1675247/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4e0f8f12-13cd-4999-9dc2-6069ed97b87a","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 20th, 2022","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":12710610,"name":"Linguistics"},{"id":12710611,"name":"History"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2023-06-22T18:09:05+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-1675247","link":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272226","journal":{"identity":"plos-one","isVorOnly":true,"title":"PLOS ONE"},"publishedOn":"2023-06-15 00:00:00","publishedOnDateReadable":"June 15th, 2023"},"versionCreatedAt":"2022-05-20 20:50:58","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0272226","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272226","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-1675247","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-1675247","identity":"rs-1675247","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"J0_U0BvcaRcwD8yVFaRlm","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}