Chayahuita language

Chayahuita is an endangered Amazonian language spoken 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 by Jebero speakers although there is some overlap in vocabulary, especially some Quechua terms.

Chayahuita
Cahuapana
Shawi
Native toPeru
Ethnicity21,400 (2011)
Native speakers
14,000 (2011)[1]
Cahuapanan
  • Chayahuita
Language codes
ISO 639-3cbt
Glottologchay1248
ELPChayahuita

Phonology
Vowels[2]
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u
Open a
Consonants[2]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n
Stop p t t͡ʃ k ʔ
Fricative s ʃ h
Rhotic r
Approximant w j

Vocabulary

Selected Shawi animal names from Rojas-Berscia (2019):[3]

Selected animal names
Common nameScientific nameShawi
possumDidelphis marsupialisanashi
lowland pacaCuniculus pacaipi'
red squirrelSciurus spadiceuspu'shi
bicolor porcupineCoendou bicolorsese
common ratRattus norvegicusshumi
agoutiDasyprocta punctataite'
capybaraHydrochoerus hydrochaeristucusu'
pichico monkeySaguinus fuscicollisishi'
Amazon condorSarcoramphus papatame
silver mylossomaMetynnis argenteusshite'
black prochilodusProchilodus nigricanswanki
armored catfishPseudorinelepis genibarbiswarate'
wolf fishHoplias malabaricusa'nanan
peccaryPecari tajacukiraman
jaguarPanthera oncani'ni'
tapirTapirus terrestrispawara
giant otterPteronura brasiliensisini'
kinkajouPotos flavuskuwasha'
red howlerAlouatta seniculusnu'nu'
yellow-tailed woolly monkeyOreonax flavicaudasura'
squirrel monkeySaimiri sciureusisen
bald uakariCacajao calvustekerenan
owl monkeyAotus miconaxkuwi
spider monkeyAteles belzebuthtu'ya
pink dolphinInia geoffrensissapana'
shusupeLachesis mutana'shi
common lanceheadBothrops atroxtayuwan
boaBoa constrictorkupiwan
wattled curassowCrax globulosai'sa
bayuca caterpillarLonomia obliquatiwintata'

References
  1. "Shawi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  2. Barraza, Yris (2005). El sistema verbal en la lengua shawi. Universidade Federal do Pernambuco.
  3. Rojas-Berscia, Luis Miguel. 2019. From Kawapanan to Shawi: Topics in language variation and change. Doctoral dissertation, Radboud University Nijmegen.
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