36.1036, Reviews: Instrumentos musicais nas línguas bantu e a herança no português do Brasil: Álvarez López (2025)

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Subject: 36.1036, Reviews: Instrumentos musicais nas línguas bantu e a herança no português do Brasil:  Álvarez López (2025)

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Date: 24-Mar-2025
From: Laura Álvarez López [laura.alvarez at su.se]
Subject: Historical Linguistics: Álvarez López (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-3171

Title: Instrumentos musicais nas línguas bantu e a herança no
português do Brasil
Series Title: LOT Dissertation Series
Publication Year: 2024

Publisher: Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke
(LOT)
           http://www.lotpublications.nl/
Book URL: https://dx.medra.org/10.48273/LOT0679

Author(s): Alzenir Mendes Martins de Menezes

Reviewer: Laura Álvarez López

SUMMARY
The thesis Instrumentos Musicais nas Línguas Bantu e Herança no
Português do Brasil, authored by Alzenir Mendes Martins de Menezes and
published by LOT (Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics) in 2024,
explores the vocabulary of musical instruments in Bantu languages and
its linguistic legacy in Brazilian Portuguese. The study describes,
compares, and analyzes reflexes of 5,700 lexical items identified
through an extensive literature review. Data collection was primarily
conducted at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium, drawing
on its specialized collections of musical instruments and relevant
literature. This research was further supplemented by cross-references
with key musicological sources.
In the Bantu linguistic context, themes refer to the conceptual
meanings underlying words (for example, “to strike a drum”), while
forms represent their specific linguistic expressions across different
languages. The analyses presented in Chapters 2 and 3 employ a
combination of bibliographic research and the comparative method—a
historical linguistic technique used to analyze structures and
reconstruct proto-languages. Through this approach, the study
identifies themes and forms, some previously documented in the Bantu
Lexical Reconstructions database (BLR3) and others newly proposed at
proto-Bantu, regional, and zonal levels. In Chapter 4, these
linguistic elements are traced to their influence on Bantu-derived
terms for musical instruments in Brazilian Portuguese. The thesis also
explores the historical diffusion of these instruments and their
cultural significance in the proto-Bantu era. Comparisons between
reconstructed etyma and Bantu-derived terms in Brazilian Portuguese
serve to localize and analyze their presence across different Bantu
zones.
The thesis is structured around four core research questions. First,
it examines which Bantu themes are most relevant to the vocabulary of
musical instruments, identifying patterns in lexical reconstruction.
Second, it investigates the depth of these linguistic influences, the
predominant nominal classes involved, and the semantic motivations
shaping their categorization. Third, it explores the contributions of
Bantu linguistic heritage to Brazilian history, particularly in the
domain of musical terminology. Finally, it pinpoints the specific
Bantu regions where themes corresponding to Brazilian Bantuisms are
most concentrated, to shed light on the historical diffusion of these
lexical elements. These guiding questions provide a clear framework
for the research.
The study shows how nominal classes associated with musical instrument
terminology in Bantu languages are predominantly those linked to
objects, tools, and actions. The semantic motivations behind these
names are primarily shaped by function, material composition, and
sound production. Many terms originate from verbs describing how the
instrument is played (e.g., striking, plucking, or blowing), while
others derive from onomatopoeic ideophones that mimic the instrument’s
sound. Additionally, metonymic and metaphorical naming processes play
a role, with instruments being named after their resemblance to
natural objects (for example, a curved horn) or their ritual and
symbolic significance. These linguistic patterns underscore the
integration of music, language, and cultural identity within
Bantu-speaking communities.
Chapter 1 establishes the foundation of the thesis by providing an
overview of research on musical instruments in the Bantu world. It
begins by classifying these instruments into four categories:
idiophones (percussion instruments), membranophones (drums),
chordophones (string instruments), and aerophones (wind instruments).
The chapter then explores their social functions, highlighting their
roles in rituals, communication, therapy, symbols of power,
entertainment, and community life. Additionally, it examines the
construction and playing techniques of various instruments, offering a
nuanced understanding of their cultural and functional significance.
By integrating anthropological and linguistic perspectives, the
chapter contextualizes these findings within broader cultural
frameworks. Case studies illustrate the dynamic interplay between
cultural practices and linguistic classification. A final section
examines the morphosemantic features of instrument names, supported by
tables of nominal classifications in Bantu languages. The section also
discusses lexical innovation, including verb derivation, metonymy, and
the role of onomatopoeic ideophones—some of which mimic animal sounds.
Special attention is given to themes reconstructed in the BLR3
database. While highly informative, the chapter could benefit from
more interactive elements, such as illustrative visuals and improved
reference accessibility. The absence of images, for example, limits
the reader’s ability to visualize the instruments and their intricate
details.
Chapter 2 adopts an onomasiological approach to the study of musical
instrument terminology in Bantu languages, focusing on both existing
and newly proposed themes. Onomasiology examines how concepts are
expressed linguistically, and within this framework, the chapter
analyzes themes documented in the BLR3 database as well as newly
identified ones. The thesis categorizes terms for musical instruments
into four major families: aerophones (horns, whistles, flutes),
chordophones (musical bows, zithers, harps, and multiple-string
harps), idiophones (direct and indirect percussion instruments), and
membranophones (drums, friction drums). The research highlights
regional variations and linguistic distribution, noting that while
some themes are widely attested across Bantu-speaking areas, others
are geographically restricted. Additionally, the chapter identifies
zonal themes that have attestations outside the Bantu linguistic
domain. By analyzing nominal classes, tonal patterns, and productive
lexical formation processes, the study refines meanings, revises
previous interpretations, and offers insights into the historical and
phonetic evolution of these terms. This section is particularly rich
in visual material, containing 40 figures, 169 tables, and 39 maps,
illustrating the diffusion of Bantu lexical items across linguistic
zones.
Chapter 3 presents comparative findings on musical instrument
vocabulary across Bantu-speaking regions. It examines the processes
involved in naming instruments, categorizing them into four major
types: deverbative, ideophonic, metonymic, and metaphoric processes.
The discussion highlights verbal derivation as a central mechanism,
with many terms motivated by specific playing actions and phonetic
structures. Ideophonic derivation is particularly relevant for wind
and percussion instruments, relying on monosyllabic, onomatopoeic
formations. Metonymic and metaphoric naming reflect material
associations and deeper cultural meanings. This section includes 49
tables and 36 maps, which visually illustrate the identified reflexes
of Bantu themes across different linguistic zones. These comparative
data provide a broader perspective on the historical distribution and
evolution of musical terminology.
Chapter 4 examines the influence of Bantu languages on Brazilian
Portuguese, with a particular focus on the vocabulary of musical
instruments. It begins by highlighting the significance of African
contributions to Brazilian linguistics, although its review of prior
research remains somewhat limited. The chapter’s primary contribution
lies in its identification of Brazilian Bantuisms related to nineteen
musical instruments, which are matched with Bantu themes following
Maniacky’s (2009) classification criteria. A key limitation of this
chapter is its reliance on a single source—Angenot et al. (2013)—for
identifying Bantu-derived terms in Brazil. While valuable, this source
is a compilation of diverse written records rather than the result of
primary linguistic research. The research lacks direct engagement with
Afro-Brazilian communities and does not incorporate data from
specialized linguistic or musicological collections in Brazil. These
omissions weaken the reliability of the findings and create an uneven
comparative framework.
EVALUATION
This thesis makes a valuable contribution to the documentation and
analysis of Bantu musical instrument terminology and its historical
diffusion. Its comparative examination of lexical themes across
Bantu-speaking regions serves as an important linguistic and cultural
resource, particularly for researchers in historical linguistics,
African language reconstruction, and lexical borrowing. However, both
Chapters 2 and 3 lack a concluding section that synthesizes the
findings of their detailed analyses, leaving the reader without a
clear summary of the key insights gained from these discussions. The
strength of these chapters lies in their rigorous methodology, as they
systematically draw from specialized linguistic and musicological
collections, apply historical linguistic methods, and cross-reference
relevant sources. However, these same methodological standards are not
consistently applied to the Brazilian context analyzed in Chapter 4,
significantly weakening its conclusions regarding the African
linguistic legacy in Brazilian Portuguese.
However, by applying a rigorous, source-diverse methodology to
Bantu-speaking regions while taking a more fragmented approach to
Brazil, the thesis introduces an analytical imbalance that undermines
its broader conclusions. Although relevant linguistic and
ethnomusicological sources on Brazil exist, they are not incorporated
into the study, limiting a deeper understanding of how these
instrument names have been preserved, adapted, or reinterpreted within
Afro-Brazilian communities over time. Without addressing these
methodological gaps, the claims about the Bantu linguistic legacy in
Brazil remain incomplete, diminishing its contribution to discussions
on African linguistic heritage in the diaspora.
The thesis also exhibits a recurring pattern of overlooking available
research and updated sources, particularly in its treatment of
historical demographic data, linguistic references, and lexical
documentation. It relies on figures from Mattoso (2003) for the
transatlantic slave trade, despite the availability of more recent
research and comprehensive databases such as the SlaveVoyages (2019)
database. Integrating these refined estimates could have significantly
improved the historical contextualization of the linguistic findings.
A similar issue arises with the study’s reliance on the 2001 edition
of the Houaiss dictionary, despite the availability of a continuously
updated online version. Since dictionaries are regularly revised to
reflect contemporary language usage, using an outdated edition
introduces a risk of overlooking newer attestations, semantic shifts,
or changes in the status of Bantu-derived terms in modern Brazilian
Portuguese. Given the growing recognition and study of Afro-Brazilian
linguistic heritage, a more methodologically sound approach would have
incorporated the latest lexical data. These recurring omissions weaken
the research’s accuracy and limit its overall contribution to research
on African linguistic influences in Brazil.
In addition to these methodological concerns, the text contains
editorial errors that affect its precision and clarity. For example,
on page 589, the author writes, “existe outro dado diferente,
registrado por Alencastro (2000), estimando um número que passa de
quatro mil escravos transferidos para o Brasil (de 1551 a 1870)”. The
claim that 4,000 enslaved people were brought to Brazil over more than
three centuries raises concerns about the accuracy of data selection
and citation practices in the text. Furthermore, the page heading for
Chapter 4 is mistakenly labeled with the heading for Chapter 3,
reflecting weak editorial oversight. While such errors may seem minor
in isolation, they contribute to an overall lack of precision that,
combined with broader methodological inconsistencies, undermines the
research’s reliability and impact.
Despite these limitations, this research represents a step toward
understanding the linguistic and cultural connections between Bantu
languages and Brazilian Portuguese. Its rigorous historical linguistic
approach to Bantu terminology provides a resource for researchers
working on African language classification and proto-language
reconstruction. However, its analysis of Brazilian Portuguese would
benefit from an expanded methodology that includes updated historical
sources, a broader range of linguistic data, and direct fieldwork. A
more balanced and comprehensive approach would significantly
strengthen the conclusions and offer a more complete picture of Bantu
linguistic influences in Brazil.
REFERENCES
Alencastro, Luiz Felipe de. 2000. O trato dos viventes: Formação do
Brasil no Atlântico Sul. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras.
Angenot, Jean Pierre; Angenot, Geralda de Lima V. & Maniacky, Jacky.
2013. Glossário de Bantuísmos Brasileiros Presumidos. Revista
Eletrônica Língua Viva. E-Book. Porto Velho, RO: UNIR. Disponível em:
http://www.periodicos.unir.br/index.php/linguaviva/article/view/724
Houaiss, Antônio. 2001. Dicionário Eletrônico Houaiss da Língua
portuguesa 3.0. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva.
Instituto Antônio Houaiss. (n.d.). Dicionário Houaiss da Língua
Portuguesa (Online edition). Houaiss. https://houaiss.uol.com.br/
Maniacky, Jacky. 2009. Thèmes régionaux et africanismes brésiliens.
In: Margarida Peter & Ronald Beline Mendes (eds.). Proceedings of the
Special World Congress of African Linguistics São Paulo 2008.
Exploring the African Language Connection in the Americas: pp.153-165.
São Paulo: Humanitas.
Mattoso, Katia M. 2003. Ser escravo no Brasil; tradução James Amado.
São Paulo: Brasiliense.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. 2019. SlaveVoyages.
https://www.slavevoyages.org (accessed February 8, 2025).
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Laura Álvarez López is a full professor of Portuguese Linguistics at
Stockholm University. Her research focuses on the social factors and
linguistic mechanisms behind variation and change, mainly in
multilingual settings. She is especially interested in
transdisciplinary approaches to studying the interrelationships
between language, culture and society in Afro-Latin American and
Afro-Iberian settings.



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