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Bahuana language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bahuana
Shiriana, Barawana
Bahwana
Pronunciation[baɸuana][1]
Native toBrazil
EthnicityShiriana people
Extinctc.2000, with the death of Claudina[2]
Arawakan
  • Central
    • Bahuanaic[3]
      • Bahuana
Language codes
ISO 639-3xir
Glottologxiri1243
Linguasphere82-AFE-ca

Bahuana (Bahwana, Barawana[1]), or Shiriana (Xiriâna, Chiriana), is an Arawakan language most closely related to Manao and Kariaí,[4] once spoken by the Shiriana people of Roraima, Brazil. It had an active–stative syntax.[5] The last speaker, Claudina,[1] died around 2000.[2]

Phonology

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Consonants

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Bahuana consonant phonemes[1]
Bilabial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t c k ʔ '
voiced b d ɟ
Fricative ɸ ts s ɕ x h
Nasal m n ɲ ñ
Liquid w ɺ r j y ɻ R

/ɸ/ is commonly labio-palatalized as [ɸᶣ] before front vowels and appears to be in free variation with the uncommonly attested [ꞵ].[1]

Vowels

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Bahuana vowel phonemes
Front Back
unrounded rounded
High i ɨ u
Low e a

Morphology

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Bahuana, unlike most Arawakan languages, lacks grammatical gender. This is thought to be due to possible influence from Nheengatu.[6]:303

Vocabulary

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Bahuana basic vocabulary[1]
Bahuana gloss
hɨɻa(tsɨ) blood
nikɨsaɨ heart
saɨ penis
(saba)taɨ vulva
taɨda skin
kiwici hair
kutabetsa
ciɲuma beard
tia excrement
kiwida head
naukɨsaɨ eye
kirina nose
numada mouth
ninima(da) tongue

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ramirez, Henri (1992). "Le Bahuana: une nouvelle langue de la famille arawak" (PDF). Amerindia. 17 supplement 1. ISSN 0221-8852.
  2. 1 2 Ramirez, Henry (2001-01-31). Linguas Arawak Da Amazonia Setentrional (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Fua. ISBN 978-85-7401-084-7.
  3. "Glottolog 5.2 - Xiriâna". glottolog.org. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  4. Ramirez, Henri; França, Maria Cristina Victorino de (2019-09-23). "Línguas Arawak da Bolívia". LIAMES: Línguas Indígenas Americanas. 19: e019012. doi:10.20396/liames.v19i0.8655045. ISSN 2177-7160.
  5. Aikhenvald, "Arawak", in Dixon & Aikhenvald, eds., The Amazonian Languages, 1999.
  6. Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. (2012-05-03). The Languages of the Amazon. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199593569.003.0010. ISBN 978-0-19-959356-9.