Mehinaku language
| Mehináku | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso |
| Ethnicity | Mehinako |
Native speakers | 230 (2006)[1] |
Arawakan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mmh |
qdv Waura–Mehináku | |
| Glottolog | mehi1240 |
| ELP | Mehináku |
Mehináku (Meinaku) is an Arawakan language spoken by the Mehinaku people in the Xingu Indigenous Park of Brazil.[2] One dialect, Waurá-kumá, is "somewhat intelligible" with Waurá due to influence from this language.[1]
Phonology
[edit]Mehináku features five vowels /a e i ɨ u/ which can be either oral or nasal /ã ẽ ĩ ɨ̃ ũ/.[3]
The language has thirteen consonants.[3]
| Labial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k | ||||
| Affricate | ts | tʃ | |||||
| Fricative | ʂ | h | |||||
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
| Tap | ɾ | ||||||
| Approximant | w | j |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mehináku at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Seki, Lucy. 2011. Alto Xingu: uma área linguística? In: Franchetto, Bruna (ed.), Alto Xingu: uma sociedade multilíngue, p. 57-85. Rio de Janeiro: Museu do Índio/FUNAI. (in Portuguese)
- ^ a b Mori, Angel Corbera (2012). "Waurá e Mehináku: um breve estudo comparativo". Estudos Linguísticos (São Paulo. 1978) (in Portuguese). 41 (1): 196–205. ISSN 1413-0939.