| Jê | |
|---|---|
| Jê–Kaingang, Gê, Ye | |
| Geographic distribution | Brazil |
| Ethnicity | Jê peoples |
| Linguistic classification | Macro-Jê
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | jeee1236 |
 Jê languages proper (clear yellow) and other Macro-Jê languages (dark yellow) in modern times. Shadowed area represent approximately extension in the past. | |
The Jê languages (also spelled Gê, Jean, Ye, Gean), or Jê–Kaingang languages, are spoken by the Jê, a group of indigenous peoples in Brazil.
The Jê family forms the core of the Macro-Jê family. Kaufman (1990) finds the proposal convincing.
According to Ethnologue, the language family is as follows:
Below is a full list of Jê language varieties listed by Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties.
Jê language varieties listed by Loukotka (1968) |
|---|
|
Internal classification of the Jê languages according to Ramirez, et al. (2015):
Ramirez excludes Jaikó as a possibly spurious language.
According to Nikulin (2020), the internal branching of the Jê language family is as follows:
Jaikó is treated as a separate branch of Macro-Jê.
Some sound changes and lexical innovations that define various Jê subgroups:
| Proto-Jê | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Jê languages |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
Proto-Jê reconstructions by Nikulin (2020):
| gloss | Proto-Jê |
|---|---|
| ‘foot’ | *par |
| ‘arm, branch’ | *pañ |
| ‘tree, wood, firewood’ | *pĩm |
| ‘to rub, to clean’ | *põ |
| ‘to leave.PL’ | *pôc |
| ‘to fart’ | *pê/*pê-k |
| ‘hungry, to want’ | *prə̃m’ |
| ‘coal, ember’ | *prʏ |
| ‘road’ | *pry (~ *pryn) |
| ‘wife’ | *prũ |
| ‘to hear, to understand’ | *mba |
| ‘liver’ | *mba |
| ‘to be afraid’ | *-mbaŋ’ |
| ‘DAT’ | *mə̃ |
| ‘to grab, to carry’ | *mbə̂ |
| ‘tail’ | *mbyn |
| ‘celestial body’ | *mbyt |
| ‘good’ | *mbec |
| ‘PL; with’ | *mẽ |
| ‘liquid’ | *mbên |
| ‘husband’ | *mbɪn’ |
| ‘to go.PL’ | *mũ |
| ‘ashes’ | *mbrə |
| ‘ant’ | *mbrʊm’ |
| ‘relative by marriage’ (kinship term) | *mbre |
| ‘to walk’ | *wa |
| ‘to take, to carry’ | *wy |
| ‘to untie’ | *wô |
| ‘to fly.SG’ | *tə |
| ‘tongue’ | *ñũctə |
| ‘INSTR’ | *tə̃ |
| ‘strong, hard’ | *tə̂t |
| ‘to die’ | *ty |
| ‘capybara’ | *k(r)Vmtym’ |
| ‘black, dark’ | *tyk |
| ‘fat’ | *tom’ |
| ‘old’ | *tʊm’ |
| ‘to carry’ | *tu |
| ‘horsefly’ | *potu |
| ‘NEG’ | *tũ |
| ‘to go.SG’ | *tẽ |
| ‘to dream’ | *peti |
| ‘to send’ | *jandə |
| ‘eye’ | *ndəm |
| ‘mother’ | *nə̃ |
| ‘to lie.SG’ | *nõ |
| ‘bad or crooked’ | *pondʊ (~ *pondʊn) |
| ‘to hit’ | *ra |
| ‘wing; armpit’ | *jara |
| ‘celestial body’ | *roñ |
| ‘to transport liquid or to pour’ | *ru |
| ‘to leave, to abandon’ | *re |
| ‘to throw.PL’ | *rẽ |
| ‘root’ | *jarê (~ *jarên) |
| ‘to weed’ | *-rê(C) |
| ‘to look’ | *rĩt |
| ‘to weave’ | *cy |
| ‘seed’ | *cym |
| ‘to eat soft food, to suck’ | *cô |
| ‘leaf’ | *côj |
| ‘nest’ | *jacê ~ *jVmcê |
| ‘bandage, sling’ | *-cĩ(C) |
| ‘to chew’ | *kapnĵa |
| ‘bee, bumblebee’ | *nĵy |
| ‘to hang.SG’ | *nĵô |
| ‘to tickle’ | *nĵê |
| ‘to stand.SG’ | *ja |
| ‘to put vertically.SG’ | *ja |
| ‘nose’ | *ñĩja |
| ‘to eat.INTR, food’ | *jañ |
| ‘bitter’ | *jə̂ |
| ‘smoke’ | *ñĩjə̂ |
| ‘urine’ | *jʏ |
| ‘to sit.SG’ | *ñỹ |
| ‘tooth’ | *jo |
| ‘salt’ | *kVjo |
| ‘to tear, to rip’ | *jô |
| ‘pus’ | *jʊ |
| ‘postposition’ | *jʊ |
| ‘father’ | *jʊm’ |
| ‘to hide’ | *peju |
| ‘to heat, to dry’ | *nĵu |
| ‘to sleep’ | *ũt/*ñũt |
| ‘thread, knot, cloth’ | *jê (~ *jên) |
| ‘female breast’ | *ñũmjê(C) |
| ‘vein’ | *kujêk |
| ‘to lay.SG’ | *ji |
| ‘name’ | *jiji ~ *ñĩji |
| ‘meat’ | *ñĩ |
| ‘hand (in compounds)’ | *ñĩ(m)- |
| ‘basket’ | *kaj’ |
| ‘skin, bark’ | *kyñ |
| ‘lip’ | *jar-kyñ |
| ‘to dig’ | *ko |
| ‘mouth’ | *jar-ko |
| ‘sky’ | *kVñko |
| ‘fly, mosquito’ | *kôp |
| ‘tree, horn’ | *kôm |
| ‘horn’ | *ñĩ-kôm |
| ‘wind’ | *kôk ~ *ka-kôk |
| ‘to eat’ | *kʊ |
| ‘stone’ | *kẽt |
| ‘NEG’ | *kêt |
| ‘pit’ | *kɪj |
| ‘to split’ | *kɪ ~ *kɪj ~ *kɪj’ |
| ‘offspring’ | *kra |
| ‘macaw’ | *krat |
| ‘head’ | *krỹñ |
| ‘knee’ | *jVkrỹñ |
| ‘chin, beak’ | *krot |
| ‘hole’ | *kre |
| ‘to plant’ | *kre |
| ‘thigh’ | *krɪñ |
| ‘to push against, to grind’ | *ŋə̃(C) |
| ‘feather, hair’ | *ŋgoñ’ |
| ‘louse’ | *ŋgô |
| ‘to push against, to crumble’ | *ŋũ |
| ‘to enter.PL’ | *ŋgɪ |
| ‘toucan’ | *ŋrũ (~ *ŋrũn) |
| ‘egg’ | *ŋgre |
| ‘to dance’ | *ŋgre |
| ‘wrap’ | *ŋrĩ(C) |
For a more complete list of Proto-Jê reconstructions, as well as Proto-Southern Jê reconstructions, see the corresponding Portuguese article.
Proto-Jê reconstructions by Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010):
| gloss | Proto-Jê |
|---|---|
| ‘relational prefix’ | *j- |
| ‘dative’ | *mã |
| ‘to open’ | *kje |
| ‘wing’ | *j-ar |
| ‘mouth’ | *j-arkua |
| ‘mouth’ | *j-ar- |
| ‘head’ | *krã |
| ‘feather’ | *j-ar |
| ‘path’ | *prɨ |
| ‘causativizer’ | *-n |
| ‘chief’ | *paʔi |
| ‘to suck’ | *so |
| ‘to catch’ | *wɨ |
| ‘to eat, to bite’ | *ku |
| ‘body’ | *hǝ |
| ‘to sing, to dance’ | *ŋrɛ |
| ‘to lay’ | *j-i, *s-i |
| ‘hard’ | *tǝt |
| ‘to stand’ | *j-am |
| ‘thorn’ | *j-ĩ |
| ‘to speak’ | *wẽ |
| ‘fart’ | *pek |
| ‘tree, wood, horn’ | *ko |
| ‘wood, firewood’ | *pĩ |
| ‘ashes, dust’ | *mrɔ |
| ‘to wash’ | *pe |
| ‘tongue’ | *j-õtɔ |
| ‘hand’ | *j-ĩ- |
| ‘hand’ | *ɲ-ĩkra |
| ‘to kill’ | *wĩ |
| ‘nest’ | *j-ase |
| ‘bone’ | *si |
| ‘to hear, to know’ | *ma |
| ‘egg’ | *ŋrɛ |
| ‘stone’ | *kɛn |
| ‘skin, bark’ | *kɨ |
| ‘to plant’ | *krɛ |
| ‘1st person’ | *ĩj- |
| ‘2nd person’ | *a- |
| ‘3rd person’ | *ĩ- |
| ‘3rd person’ | *s- |
| ‘pus’ | *j-u, *j-ur |
| ‘tail’ | *mɨ |
| ‘root’ | *j-are |
| ‘seed’ | *sɨ |
| ‘to sit’ | *j-ã |
| ‘hunger’ | *prãm |
| ‘earth’ | *pɨka |
| ‘to come’ | *tẽm |
