Eperara language
Eperara a.k.a. Epena (Southern Embera) is an Embera language of Colombia, with about 250 speakers in Ecuador.
Geographic Distribution
Epena is spoken on the Pacific coastal rivers of the departments of Nariño, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca in Colombia. A major grouping of the Epena is found in Cauca along the Saija River and three of its major tributaries: the Guangüí, Infí, and Cupí. Social contact and intermarriage with the neighboring Wounaan is commonplace.
The Basuradó dialect is spoken on the Basuradó River in the Department of the Chocó, near the Docampadó River. This is the only Epena dialect that differs significantly from the others.
Orthography
- a - [a]
- ã - [ã]
- b - [b]
- ch - [t͡ʃ]
- d - [d]
- e - [e]
- ẽ - [ẽ]
- ë - [ə]
- ë̃ - [ə̃]
- g - [g]
- i - [i]
- ĩ - [ĩ]
- ï - [ɨ] (also written as ɨ in some texts)
- ï̃ - [ɨ̃]
- j - [h]
- k - [k]
- kꞌ - [kʰ]
- m - [m]
- n - [n]
- o - [o]
- õ - [õ]
- p - [p]
- pꞌ - [pʰ]
- r - [ɾ~r]
- s - [s]
- t - [t]
- tꞌ - [tʰ]
- u - [u]
- ũ - [ũ]
- w - [w]
- y - [j]
Glottal stops are represented with hyphens.
Long vowels are doubled.
C, f, h, l, ñ, q, v, x, z are used in foreign words and names.
Phonology
The phonology consists of the following:
Consonants
Vowels
Notes
Bibliography
- Harms, Phillip Lee. 1994. Epena Pedee Syntax. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and University of Texas at Arlington.