The Ofayé or Opaye language, also Ofaié-Xavante, Opaié-Shavante, is a Macro-Jê language spoken in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, forming an independent branch of the language family. It is spoken by only three of the Ofayé people, though language revitalization efforts are underway.
Documentation Grammatical descriptions have been made by the Pankararú linguist Maria das Dores de Oliveira (Pankararu), as well as by Sarah C. Gudschinsky and Jennifer E. da Silva, from the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul.
Geographical distribution It was spoken on the Ivinhema River, Pardo River, and Nhandú River in Mato Grosso do Sul. Guachi, spoken on the Vacaria River in Mato Grosso do Sul, is a dialect.
Language contact Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Macro-Mataguayo-Guaykuru languages due to contact.
Phonology The consonantal inventory of Ofayé is as follows. +ConsonantsLabialAlveolarPostalveolar/palatalVelarLabio-velarGlottalNasalStopvoicelessvoicedFricativeOral sonorant
The vowel inventory of Ofayé is as follows. +VowelsFrontCentralBackClose Close-mid Open-midOpen
References