Iñapari language
| Iñapari | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Peru |
Native speakers | 4 (1999)[1] |
Arawakan
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Perú |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | inp |
| Glottolog | inap1242 |
| ELP | Iñapari |
Iñapari is a critically endangered indigenous South American language spoken by just four people in Perú along the Las Piedras river near the mouth of the Sabaluyoq river. The language is already extinct in neighboring Bolivia. All four remaining speakers are bilingual in Spanish and none have any children, which will likely lead to its extinction once the speakers die. The Iñapari language currently has a published dictionary.[2][3]
The Pacaguara (Pacahuara) dialect described by Mercier was at least ethnically distinct. (But see Pacaguara language.)
Phonology[]
According to Parker, Iñapari has eleven consonants and six vowels.[3]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasals | m | n | ||
| Plosives | p | t | ʔ | |
| Fricatives | s | h | ||
| Liquids | (l) ~ ɾ | |||
| Glides | w | j |
The status of the lateral as a phoneme is considered dubious as [l] is found in few words and may be a phonetic variant of /r/.
Iñapari's six vowels are /i e a ï o u/, where /ï/ is a high back unrounded vowel.
Notes[]
- ^ Iñapari at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Datos de la lengua Iñapari. Parker, Stephen G., compiler. 1995. Documento de Trabajo, 27. Yarinacocha: Ministerio de Educación and Instituto Lingüístico de Verano. 208 p.
- ^ a b A sketch of Iñapari phonology Parker, Steve. 1999. International Journal of American Linguistics 65: 1-39.
External links[]
- Languages of Peru
- Languages of Bolivia
- Arawakan languages
- Endangered indigenous languages of the Americas
- Arawakan language stubs