| Piaroa | |
|---|---|
| De'aruwa | |
| Native to | Colombia and Venezuela |
| Ethnicity | Piaroa people |
Native speakers | 14,500 (2017)[1] |
Piaroa–Saliban
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pid |
| Glottolog | piar1243 |
| ELP | Piaroa |
 | |
Piaroa is an Indigenous language of Venezuela and Colombia, spoken by the Piaroa people. It is a member of the Piaroa–Saliban languages, and was spoken by 14,500 people in 2017.
Classification
editPiaroa is related to the Wirö language (commonly called by the pejorative term "Maco"), to which it is closely related, the two forming a Piaroan branch, and Saliba, composing a language family called Piaroa–Saliban. Piaroa–Saliban has been linked to various language families in the region, include Hoti, Betoi–Jirara, and Ticuna–Yuri.[1][2] Wirö is so close to Piaroa that some authors have incorrectly classified it as a dialect of Piaroa. A fourth Piaroa–Saliban language has been claimed, Ature, but no data was ever collected for it and it is now extinct. The relationship between Piaroa and Saliba was first recognized by Filippo Salvatore Gilii in 1782.[1]
Status
editPiaroa was spoken by about 14,500 people in 2017.[1] The language is spoken vigorously by all generations of Piaroa people.[3]
Alternate names
editPiaroa is called by many names, including variations of Wotuja,[4] Wo’tiheh, and Huottüja.[5]
Phonology
edit| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | plain | lab. | ||||||
| Stop | Plain | p | t | k | kʷ | ʔ | |||
| Aspirated | pʰ~ɸ | tʰ | kʰ | kʰʷ | |||||
| Ejective | pʼ | tʼ | kʼ | kʷʼ | |||||
| Glottal | ˀb | ˀd | |||||||
| Affricate | Plain | t͡ʃ~t͡s | |||||||
| Aspirated | t͡sʰ | ||||||||
| Ejective | t͡sʼ | ||||||||
| Fricative | s | hˣ | hˣʷ | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | |||||||
| Flap/Lateral | ɾ | ʎ | |||||||
| Approximant | j~dʲ | w | |||||||
Palatalization of /k, kʰ, kʼ, hˣ/ may occur when before front vowels as [kʲ, kʲʰ, kʲʼ, hʲ].
/pʰ/ is in free variation with [ɸ].
Phonemes /j/ and /t͡ʃ/ may have allophones of [dʲ, t͡s].
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u ɯ |
| Mid | e | ɤ~o | |
| Open | æ | ɑ~ɒ |
Vowels /ɤ, ɑ/ are rounded as [o, ɒ] when after labial consonants.[3]
Nasalization is analyzed as a suprasegmental feature.[3]
Morphology
editTwo genders are distinguished in Piaroa, masculine and feminine.[3]
Syntax
editWord order
editPreferred word order in Piaroa is subject–object–verb word order.[3]
References
edit
- ^ a b c d Zamponi, Raoul (2017). "Betoi-Jirara, Sáliban, and Hodi̵: Relationships among Three Linguistic Lineages of the Mid-Orinoco Region". Anthropological Linguistics. 59 (3): 263–321. ISSN 0003-5483.
- ^ Jolkesky, M. 2016. Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas. Brasilia: UnB. PhD Dissertation.
- ^ a b c d e Mosonyi, Esteban Emílio (2002). "Elementos de Gramática Piaroa: Algunas Consideraciones sobre sus clases nominales" (PDF). Boletín de Lingüística. 18 (18): 71–103.
- ^ Censo indígena de Venezuela, 1992 (Volume 1 ed.). Venezuela Oficina Central de Estadística e Informática. 1993. p. 516.
- ^ Krisólogo B., Pedro J. (1976). Manual glotológico del idioma wo'tiheh. Lenguas indígenas de Venezuela. Vol. 16. Caracas: Centro de lenguas Indigenas, Instituto de Investigaciones Historicas, Universidad Católica "Andrés Bello".
External links
edit- Huottüją Foundation, Piaroa nonprofit organization
