Chamicuro language

Last updated

Chamicuro
Chamicolo, Chamicura
Chamekolo
Pronunciation[ˌt͡ʃameˈkod͡ɮo] [1]
Native to Peru
Region Pampa Hermosa
Ethnicity100 Chamicuro (2015) [2]
Native speakers
8 (2008) [3]
Arawakan
  • Southern
    • Western
      • Chamicuro
Latin script (alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3 ccc
Glottolog cham1318
ELP Chamicuro
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Chamicuro is a nearly extinct South American language spoken in Peru. The language was used by the Chamicuro people, who number around one hundred people. The Chamicuros currently live on a tributary of the Huallaga river, in Peru, in an area called Pampa Hermosa, though many had been dislocated to the Yavarí and Napo Rivers and to Brazil. [2]

Contents

As with all native languages in Peru, Chamicuro was by default an official language in the area in which it was spoken. A dictionary has been published by the Chamicuro, however no children can speak the language as the community has shifted to Spanish.

There is dispute as to whether the unattested language of the Aguano people was the same language as Chamicuro. Loukotka (1968) [4] had identified it with Chamicuro, but the Chamicuro report that the Aguano people spoke Quechua. [5] [ full citation needed ]

Phonology

Chamicuro has five vowels: /a, e, i, o, u/. All vowels have both short and long forms. [6]

Consonants in Chamicuro
Bilabial Alveolar Palato-
alveolar
Retroflex Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p t k ʔ
Affricate t͡s t͡ʃ ʈʂ
Fricative s ʃ ʂ h
Nasal m n ɲ
Lateral l ʎ
Flap ɾ
Semivowel j w

See also

References

  1. https://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9292
  2. 1 2 Chamicuro at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  3. Campbell, Lyle; Grondona, Verónica María, eds. (2012). The indigenous languages of South America: a comprehensive guide. The world of linguistics. Berlin ; Boston: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN   978-3-11-025513-3.
  4. Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages . Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
  5. Wise, 1987
  6. "SAPhon – South American Phonological Inventories". linguistics.berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2018.