Kawahíva (Kawahíb, Kagwahib) is a Tupi–Guarani dialect cluster of Brazil.
The Tenharim (self-designation, 'near, together'), Parintintín, Jiahúi, Amondawa, Karipúna, Uru-eu-wau-wau (self-designation ), Piripkúra, Júma, and Capivarí all call themselves Kawahíva. Their speech is mutually intelligible, and also similar to other languages or dialects now extinct. The closest Tupí-Guaraní language seems to be Apiaká, formerly spoken in Mato Grosso.
Varieties There are different internal classifications of the pan-Kawahíwa, which differ in, e.g., whether Kayabí and Apiaká should be included as part of the dialectal cluster. The one listed in Aguilar (2013, 2018) follows:Aguilar, A. M. G. C. 2013. Contribuições Etnolinguísticas e Histórico-Comparativas para os estudos sobre os povos e as línguas Kawahíwa. Tese (Exame de Qualificação de Doutorado), PPGL/UnB.
Kawahíwa Northern
Tenharim
Juma Southern Jupaú (Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau) Amondawa
Apiaká Kayabí (Kawaiwete)
isolated groups
Languages spoken in north-central Rondônia are Karipúna, Uru-eu-wau-wau (Jupaú), Amondawa, and unidentified varieties by some isolated groups. Languages spoken in northeastern Mato Grosso and southern Pará are Apiaká, Kayabí, Piripkúra, and unidentified varieties by some isolated groups.
Other Kawahíva dialects became extinct, the most recent being Capivarí with the death of Pitanga Capivarí in the fall 2022. Other varieties include Paranawat at Machado/Ji-Paraná River, Takwatip and Ipotewat at Muqui river, attested by Nimuendajú and Lévi-Strauss around the 1950s. Lévi-Strauss also mentions people who were already almost extinct at that time, who lived near the Ji-Paraná river, like the Tucumanfét and the Jabotiféd; and the Mialat, who inhabited the Leitão River region.
Phonology Phonemic inventory of the Parintintin dialect:
+VowelsFrontCentralBackHigh Mid Low
/a, ã/ are heard as [ə, ə̃] in unstressed syllables.
+ConsonantsBilabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalNasalStop/AffricateFricativeRhotic
/ɲ/ can be heard as [j] when in unstressed positions. /β/ can also be heard as [w].
Notes
References
Further reading dos Santos, W. N. (2024). Topics on the syntax of Kawahíva: A Tupí-Guaraní language from the Brazilian Amazon. Doctor's Thesis. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7n3020c1
External links
Portal Japiim (online dictionary)