Nheengatu love poem

Nhengatu (Nhe'engatu, Nheengatu, Ñe'engatú, lingua geral Amazônica) is a Tupi language from Amazonia, based on Tupinambá. We estimate its number of speakers, in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, at perhaps 30,000 people. After being widely used until the 19th century, its number of speakers has declined in favor of Portuguese, until in 2003 when it became a co-official language in São Gabriel da Cachoeira.

According to Professor Yaguarê Yamã Aripunãguá of the Academia da Língua Nheengatu (Nheengatu Language Academy), Brazil, there are three spoken variations of Nheengatu: Nheengatu do Rio negro, Nheengatu traditional, Nheengatu do Tapajós. Speakers of these three Nheengatu variations can orally communicate amongst themselves with varying degrees of difficulties. The spelling of the three variants differs, which makes comprehension of these different reading almost insurmountable.

When the Portuguese began to enter the Amazon and exploit its riches, their workforce was a collection of Indians of different tribes who spoke distinct Tupi languages. Under the impulse of missionaries, a lingua franca, Tupi, was then unified through a creolization based on Tupinambá. It is this language, Nheengatu (the general language of Amazonia), which will become the language of communication in Amazonia. Nheengatu means "good speak".