ISO 639-3 apn | Native speakers 1,300 (2003) Glottolog apin1244 | |
Language family Macro-JêJêNorthwestApinayé | ||
Apinayé (otherwise known as Apinagé, Apinajé) currently an endangered language is a Subject–object–verb Jê language spoken in Tocantins, Eastern Central Brazil by some 1529 speakers of Apinajé people. There are six villages that speak the Apinajé language.
Contents
Historical Events Leading to Endangerment
During the first quarter of the nineteenth century the Apinayé had a successful economic growth fueled by extensive cattle farming and the extraction of babaù palm oil which brought an increase in migration.
Phonology
The consonant and vowel inventory follows.
Vowels
Just as in Mebengokre, there are underlying nasal vowels which surface independent of the nasal consonants.
Onsets
The onset is optional in Apinayé, but when it exists it may be any consonant from the inventory. C1C2V(C)-type syllables, where C2 is a voiced [+cont] semivowel or liquid are very common. CCC onsets are always /kvr/or /ŋvr/
Codas
All consonants other than /ŋ, ʔ/ are permitted in the coda. Note also that the possible syllable types are identical to what we find in Mebengokre, except for those in which there are /ʔ/-initial complex onsets.