Akwáwa language

Akwáwa is a Tupi–Guarani dialect cluster spoken in Pará in western Brazil.

Akwáwa
Native toBrazil
RegionPará
EthnicitySuruí do Pará, Asuriní, Parakanã
Native speakers
(700 (1999)[1]
to 1,500 cited 1995–2006)[2]
Tupian
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
asu – Asuriní
mdz – Suruí
pak – Parakanã
Glottologtupi1284
ELP

Dialects

There are three distinct dialects:[1]

  • Asuriní (of Tocantins or Trocará), or Akwawa
  • Suruí (of Tocantins or Pará), or Akewara
  • Parakanã, Awaeté

Both the name Asuriní and Suruí are used for related peoples and their languages: Suruí of Jiparaná, Suruí of Rondônia, Asuriní of Xingú, etc.

Phonology

The following is the Parakanã dialect:[3]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ
Mid e o
Open a
  • Vowel sounds are realized as nasalized when preceding nasal consonants.
  • /e/ can also be heard as [ɛ] when in stressed position.
  • /ɨ/ can also be heard as [ə] when preceding a vowel.
  • /a/ can be heard as back [ʌ] when in word-final position. In its nasal form, it is heard as back [ʌ̃].
  • /o/ can be heard as [u] when in unstressed position.

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lab.
Plosive p t tʃ k kʷ ʔ
Fricative β h
Nasal m n ŋ
Tap ɾ
  • /β/ can also be heard as a glide [w].
  • /tʃ/ can be realized as a glide [j] in final position, and as voiced [dʒ] in intervocalic positions.

Notes
  1. Cheryl Jensen, 1999, "Tupí-Guaraní", in Dixon & Aikhenvald, The Amazonian Languages
  2. Asuriní at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Suruí at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Parakanã at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. Souza e Silva, Auristéa Caetana (1999). Aspectos da referência alternada em Parakanã. Universidade Federal do Pará.


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