Chamicuro language

Chamicuro is a dormant (documented but not used by any native speakers) South American language formerly spoken in Peru.[1] The language was used by the Chamicuro people who number around one hundred people. The Chamicuros live on a tributary of the Huallaga river, in Peru, in an area called Pampa Hermosa, meaning beautiful plains.

Chamicuro
Chamicolo, Chamicura
Chamekolo
Native toPeru
RegionPampa Hermosa
EthnicityChamicuro
Native speakers
none (2019)[1]
Arawakan
  • Southern
    • Western
      • Chamicuro
Latin script (alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3ccc
Glottologcham1318
ELPChamicuro[2]

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

There is controversy in regard to whether Aguano is the same language, which one study (Ruhlen 1987) says it is, but the Chamicuros disputed this (Wise, 1987), although this may be for cultural reasons and the languages may actually be intelligible, but the different people do not relate to one another and maintain different names and connotations between their language or languages.

Phonology

Chamicuro has 5 vowels: /a, e, i, o, u/. All vowels have both short and long forms.[3]

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

See also

References
  1. Chamicuro at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
  2. Endangered Languages Project data for Chamicuro.
  3. "SAPhon – South American Phonological Inventories". linguistics.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-17.


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