Ninam, or Yanam, is a Yanomaman language spoken in Roraima, Brazil (800 speakers) and southern Venezuela near the Mucajai, upper Uraricaá, and Paragua rivers.
Synonymy
Yanam is also known by the following names: Ninam, Yanam–Ninam, Xirianá, Shiriana Casapare, Kasrapai, Jawaperi, Crichana, Jawari, Shiriana, Eastern Yanomaman.
Regional variation
Gordon (2009) reports 2 main varieties (Northern, Southern). Kaufman (1994) reports 3:
Yanam ( Northern Yanam/Ninam (Xiliana, Shiriana, Uraricaa-Paragua)) Ninam ( Southern Yanam/Ninam (Xilixana, Shirishana, Mukajai)) Jawarib
The name Jawari is shared with Ỹaroamë.
There are three dialects spoken in Roraima, Brazil according to Ferreira, et al. (2019):Ferreira, Helder Perri; Machado, Ana Maria Antunes; Senra, Estevão Benfica. 2019. As línguas Yanomami no Brasil: diversidade e vitalidade. São Paulo: Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN). 216pp.
Northern (Xiriana): Ericó and Saúba Southern: Mucajaí Central: Uraricoera
The remaining speakers of Arutani and Sapé also speak Ninam (Shirián), since they now mostly live in Ninam villages.Rosés Labrada, Jorge Emilio, Thiago Chacon & Francia Medina. 2020. Arutani (Venezuela and Brazil) – Language Snapshot. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) Language Documentation and Description 17, 170-177. London: EL Publishing.Jorge Emilio Rosés Labrada & Francia Medina (2019). Sapé (Venezuela) — Language Snapshot. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) Language Documentation and Description, vol 16. London: EL Publishing. pp. 169-175. Mason (1950) Dialects listed by Mason (1950):
Waharibo (Guaharibo) Shirianá Waicá (Guaica, Vaica) Carimé (Karimé)
Phonology Yanam has seven base vowels. Yanam has both vowel length and nasalization, and both features can occur simultaneously, for all vowels except for /ɨ/.
+Vowels Front Central Back Close Mid Open
+ConsonantsBilabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalplainaspiratedStop Affricate Fricative Nasal Approximant Flap
References
Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. . Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge. Migliazza, Ernest; & Grimes, J. E. (1961). Shiriana phonology. Anthropological Linguistics. (June).
External links Ninam (Shirishana variety) (Intercontinental Dictionary Series) Portal Japiim (online dictionary)