Achawa language

Achagua
Achawa
Native to	Colombia
Region	Meta Department
Ethnicity	Achagua people
Native speakers	(250 cited 2000) [1]
Language family	Arawakan Northern Upper Amazon Western Nawiki Piapoko Achagua
Dialects	?Ponares †
Language codes
ISO 639-3	aca – inclusive code Achagua Individual code: pod  – Ponares (retired)
Glottolog	acha1250   Achagua pona1251   Ponares
ELP	Achagua
Achagua is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Achagua, or Achawa (Achagua : Achawa), is an Arawakan language spoken in the Meta Department of Colombia, similar to Piapoco. It is estimated that 250 individuals speak the language, many of whom also speak Piapoco or Spanish. ^[1]

"Achagua is a language of the Maipurean Arawakan group traditionally spoken by the Achagua people of Venezuela and east-central Colombia." ^[2]

A "Ponares" language is inferred from surnames, and may have been Achawa or Piapoco.

There is 1 to 5% literacy in Achagua. ^[1]

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t		tʃ	k
	voiced	b	d
Nasal		m	n
Fricative			s̪		ʝ		h
Trill			r
Approximant		w		ɭ

• /n/ is realized as [ ɲ ] when preceding palatal consonants.
• /k/ is palatalized [ kʲ ] when preceding /i/.
• Sounds /b, d/ are preglottalized [ ˀb, ˀd ] within accented syllables or after accented syllables.
• /b/ is realized as [ β ] when occurring intervocalically.
• /w/ is realized as [ β ] when preceding /i/.
• /s̪/ is realized as [ ʃ ] when preceding /i/.
• /ʝ/ is heard as an affricate [ dʒ ] in word-initial positions. It can also be realized as a glide [ j ] freely in intervocalic positions.
• /ɭ/ can be heard as a flap [ ɾ ] in free variation before /i/. ^[3]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid	e		o
Low		a

List of words

English	Spanish	Achagua	Ref.
One	Uno	Báque	[4]
Two	Dos	Chámai
Three	Tres	Matálii
Four	Cuatro	Kuátru
Five	Cinco	Abakáahi
Black	Negro	Kachajulai
Canoe	Canoa	Íida
Dog	Perro	Áuli
Father	Padre	Nusálihina
Man	Hombre	Washiaáli
Moon	Luna	Quéerri
Mother	Madre	Nutúwa
Sun	Sol	Cáiwia
Water	Agua	Shiátai
White	Blanco	Kabalai

Notes

1. Achagua at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
   Ponares (retired) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Neira, Alonso de. "The Art and Vocabulary of the Achagua Language". World Digital Library. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
3. Lozano, Miguel Ángel Meléndez (2000). Esbozo grammatical de la lengua achagua. Lenguas indígenas de Colombia: una visión descriptiva: Santafé de Bogotá: Instituto Caro y Cuervo. pp. 625–640.
4. "Achagua Words". native-languages.org. Retrieved 2025-03-31.

External links

• Neira, Alonso de. "Arte y bocabulario de la lengua achagua: Doctrina christiana, confessionario de uno y otro sexo e instrucción de cathecumenos". World Digital Library . Retrieved 2013-05-23.
• Dryer, Matthew S.; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Achawa language". World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
• OLAC resources in and about the Achagua language
• Achagua on Native Languages of the Americas
• Listen to a sample of Achagua from Global Recordings Network
• The Archive of Indigenous Languages of Latin America https://www.ailla.utexas.org/islandora/search/Achagua?type=dismax%5B%5D