The creation of the institutional space for linguistics and for the study of indigenous languages in Brazil

Abstract

This paper presents the situation of general linguistic studies as well as those of Brazilian indigenous languages before the 1960s, as a background to report the professional trajectory of Aryon Dall’Igna Rodrigues as a mentor, researcher and creator of the institutional space of such studies in Brazil. It examines the main recommendations of his report to the Cartagena Symposium and how he dedicated himself to the accomplishment of those goals, promoting the first Brazilian Linguistic Institutes, participating in the Interamerican Linguistic Institutes and creating graduate programs in three Brazilian higher education institutions. It also highlights his work as dissertation and thesis adviser on indigenous languages, and presents the inventory of indigenous languages studied so far.