Ninam language
| Ninam | |
|---|---|
| Yanam | |
| Native to | Brazil, Venezuela |
Native speakers | 470 in Brazil (2012) 560 in Venezuela (2010) (excluding Yaroamë) |
Yanomam
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | shb |
| Glottolog | nina1238 |
| ELP | Ninam |
 | |
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 (a.k.a. Northern Yanam/Ninam (Xiliana, Shiriana, Uraricaa-Paragua))
- Ninam (a.k.a. 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):
- 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.
Mason (1950)
Dialects listed by Mason (1950):
- Waharibo (Guaharibo)
- Shirianá
- Waicá (Guaica, Vaica)
- Shirianá
- Carimé (Karimé)
Phonology
Vowels
Yanam contrasts seven vowel qualities. Vowel length and nasalization are phonemic, and both features can occur simultaneously, for all vowels except /ɨ/.
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
| Plosive/ Affricate |
tenuis | p | t | tʃ | k | |
| aspirated | tʰ | |||||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | h | |||
| Liquid | ɾ | j | ||||
References
- 1 2 Ninam at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ↑ 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. ISBN 978-85-8226-076-0
- ↑ 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, John Alden (1950). "The languages of South America". In Steward, Julian (ed.). Handbook of South American Indians. Vol. 6. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143. pp. 157–317.
- ↑ SAPhon.
- ↑ Migliazza & Grimes 1961, pp. 31–41.
Bibliography
- Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
- Kaufman, Terrence (1994). "The native languages of South America". In Mosley, C.; Asher, R. E. (eds.). Atlas of the world's languages. London: Routledge. pp. 46–76.
- Migliazza, Ernest; Grimes, Joseph E. (1961). "Shiriana Phonology". Anthropological Linguistics. 3 (6). ISSN 0003-5483.
- "SAPhon – South American Phonological Inventories". linguistics.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
External links
- Ninam (Shirishana variety) (Intercontinental Dictionary Series)
- Portal Japiim (online dictionary)