// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Cumanagoto language say to its student? You'll "cumana" long way.
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| Cumanagoto | |
|---|---|
| Kumana | |
| choto maimuru | |
| Native to | Venezuela |
| Ethnicity | Cumanagoto people |
Native speakers | 49 (2012)[1] |
Cariban
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cuo |
| Glottolog | cuma1240 |
 | |
Cumanagoto (Cumanogota, Cumaná, Kumaná, Cumanagoto: choto maimuru), also Itoto Majun, Palank, Pariagoto or Tamanaku, is a nearly extinct[2] Cariban language of eastern coastal Venezuela. It is the language of the Cumanagoto people and other nations. Extinct dialects include Palenque (presumably Palank), Piritu (Piritugoto), and Avaricoto.[3]
History
[edit]In the Venezuelan states of Anzoátegui, Sucre, Monagas, Miranda, Aragua, and Carabobo, a number of Indigenous peoples are reported by colonial sources, including the Cumanagotos, Pariagotos, Chaimas, Chacopatas, Píritus, Cuacas, Palenques, Mariches, Caracas, and Teques. Despite this diversity, there was a distinctive linguistic homogeneity in the region. Reports indicate that a singular language was spoken in this region with only minor dialectal variations spoken by the different peoples. The language was referred natively as choto maimuru.[4] Following colonial reports in the 17th century, the Indigenous peoples of the region became acculturated and blended into the mestizo population.[5] Despite this, 49 people were reported to speak the language in 2012.[1] A language revitalization program has started.[6]
Phonology
[edit]Consonants
[edit]| Bilabial | Coronal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occlusive | p | t | k |
| Nasal | m | n | |
| Vibrant | ɺ ⟨r⟩ | ||
| Fricative | s | ||
| Semiconsonant | w | j ⟨y⟩ |
/w/ may also be pronounced as [ꞵ]. The phoneme represented as ⟨r⟩ is most likely the lateral tap [ɺ] as found in Kari'nja and Pemon. Occlusives may also be voiced allophonically; this is reflected in the transcription of the sources. /n/ may be palatalized to [ɲ] next to /i/ or /j/. /s, t/ may be realized as ⟨ch⟩. /j/ is pronounced [d] between two /a/ vowels.[4]
Vowels
[edit]| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ ⟨ü⟩ | u |
| Mid | e | ə ⟨ö⟩ | o |
| Low | a |
The vowel /ɨ/ is written as ⟨ui⟩ in colonial-era sources.[4]
Notes
[edit]- 1 2 Crevels, Mily (2012-01-13), "Language endangerment in South America: The clock is ticking", in Campbell, Lyle; Grondona, Verónica (eds.), The Indigenous Languages of South America, DE GRUYTER, pp. 167–234, doi:10.1515/9783110258035.167, ISBN 978-3-11-025513-3, retrieved 2026-05-09
- ↑ Cite error: The named reference
:12was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ↑ Gildea, Spike (1998). On reconstructing grammar: comparative Cariban morphosyntax. Oxford studies in anthropological linguistics. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-19-510952-8.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Álvarez, José (2018). Kure mana choto maimuru (Nuestra lengua está viva) (in Spanish and Cumanagoto). Universidad del Zulia.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ↑ Kirchhoff, Paul (1948), "The Tribes North of the Orinoco River", Handbook of South American Indians: The Circum-Caribbean Tribes, Handbook of South American Indians, vol. 4, Smithsonian Institution, Washington: Bureau of American Ethnology, pp. 481–493, retrieved 2026-05-29
- ↑ Castillo, Horacio Biord (2018). "El (re) Aprendizaje De Una Lengua Extinta: Etnogénesis Entre Los Cumanagotos Del Nororiente De Venezuela". Antropología Americana. 3 (6): 35–56. ISSN 2521-7607.