Surui language
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|
| Suruí | |
|---|---|
| Paíter | |
| Pronunciation | [pa.iˈte:ɾ̥] |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Rondônia, Mato Grosso |
| Ethnicity | Paiter |
Native speakers | 1,000 (2006)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sru |
| Glottolog | suru1262 |
| ELP | Paiter |
Suruí (of Jiparaná), also known as Paíter or Suruí-Paíter, is a Tupian language of Brazil. The Suruí of Rondônia call themselves Paiter, which means “the true people, we ourselves".[2] They speak a language of the Tupi group and Monde language family. There were 1,375 Suruí-Paíter in 2014.[3]
Phonology
[edit]Vowels
[edit]| Oral | Nasal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Central | Back | Front | Central | Back | |
| Close | i iː | ɨ ɨː | ĩ ĩː | ɨ̃ ɨ̃ː | ||
| Mid | e eː | o oː | ẽ ẽː | õ õː | ||
| Open | a aː | ã ãː | ||||
Consonants
[edit]| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | voiceless | p | t | tʃ | k | |
| voiced | b | d | (dʒ) | ɡ | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Fricative | β | s | ʃ | h | ||
| Tap | ɾ | |||||
| Approximant | l | j | (w) | |||
- /β/ can be heard as either [β] or [w] in free variation, and as [ɸ] when before voiceless consonants.
- /b/ can be heard as prenasal [ᵐb] when after a nasal vowel, or when in initial position.
- /h/ can be heard as voiced [ɦ] when between vowels. It is also said to be heard as a voiceless lateral [l̥], among elder speakers.
- /j/ can be heard as nasal [j̃] when preceding or in between nasal vowels.
- Sounds /p, t, k, m, n, ŋ/, can be heard as [p̚, t̚, k̚, m̚, n̚, ŋ̚] in word-final position.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Suruí at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ↑ Surui, Tiago Iteor (2020-12-09). Descrevendo a língua dos Paiter ej (Suruí de Rondônia) : contribuições de um falante nativo (MA thesis). Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ↑ "Surui Paiter - Indigenous Peoples in Brazil". pib.socioambiental.org. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ↑ Guerra, Mariana de Lacerda (2004). Aspects of Suruí Phonology and Phonetics. Université Libre de Bruxelles.
External links
[edit]- ELAR archive of Documentation of Gavião and Suruí Languages in whistled and instrumental speech by Julien Meyer
- ELAR archive of Language Documentation of traditional culture among the Gavião and Suruí of Rondônia by Dennis Moore
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