The Appendix to Pedro de Angelis’ Colección de obras impresas y manuscritas [1853]. A special collection in ethnolinguistics reconstructed.

Abstract

This article presents an important document about the beginnings of Argen-tine ethnolinguistics in the 19th century, the Apendice to the Angelis collection, which contained important etnolinguistic documents mainly manuscripts written by Jesuits in colonial times in the so called reducciones. Networking among interested Argentinean researchers also began in the mid-19th century. Initially it consisted mainly in the interest of collectors who wanted to possess special curiosities, early manuscripts in indigenous languages or the rare printed grammatical works and vocabularies of the Jesuits. The most prominent figure amongst collectors is the Italo-argentine collector Pedro de Angelis with a whose linguistic interest at high level. He sold his collection (the main part went to Brazil, now in the Biblioteca Nacional in Rio). Angelis deliberately retained his ethnolinguistic collection, which he later sold to a few friends only in Buenos Aires (known only through an “Apendice”, published in Buenos Aires to complete his main bibliography made for the sale in Brazil). Angelis’ own contribution in linguistics has been completely neglected until now.