Abstract:

Drawing on the ancient tradition of the body-metaphor for representing the kingdom and its ruling state, the Portuguese word língua (tongue) emerges in the sixteenth century to designate colonial translators overseas. While many studies were dedicated to the interplay between anatomical and political imagery, few have tackled its imprint on particular lexica and discursive contexts. Based upon a variety of sources related to colonial experiences in Brazil, including Hans Staden's and Ulrich Schmidel's narratives, I establish a nexus between the historical semantics of the word língua and different models of colonial rule. 

Organization