Chayahuita language
Appearance
Chayahuita | |
---|---|
Cahuapana | |
Shawi | |
Native to | Peru |
Ethnicity | 21,400 (2011) |
Native speakers | 14,000 (2011)[1] |
Cahuapanan
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | cbt |
Glottolog | chay1248 |
ELP | Chayahuita |
Chayahuitais an endangeredAmazonian languagespoken by thousands of native Chayahuita people in the Amazon basin of north-central Peru. Spoken along the banks of the Paranapura, Cahuapanas, Sillay, and Shanusi rivers, it is also known as Chayawita, Shawi, Chawi, Tshaahui, Chayhuita, Chayabita, Shayabit, Balsapuertino, Paranapura, and Cahuapa. There is a 1–5% literacy rate, compared with 5–15% for Spanish, and a dictionary since 1978. It can not be understood byJeberospeakers although there is some overlap in vocabulary, especially someQuechuaterms.
Phonology
[edit]Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | ɨ | u |
Open | a |
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | |||
Stop | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | ʔ |
Fricative | s | ʃ | h | ||
Rhotic | r | ||||
Approximant | w | j |
Vocabulary
[edit]Selected Shawi animal names from Rojas-Berscia (2019):[3]