Mapoyo language

Mapoyo is a Carib language spoken along the Suapure and Parguaza Rivers, Venezuela. The ethnic population of Mapoyo proper is about 365.

Phonology

Consonants

• /h/ can be heard as a palatal [] when preceding a voiceless plosive.
• /n/ can be heard as a velar [] when preceding a velar /k/.
• /β/ can be heard as a voiced stop [], when after a voiceless plosive or glottal /ʔ/.
• /s/ can be heard with an allophone of [] when word-initially, or after a glottal /ʔ/.
• /j/ can be heard as a voiced fricative [], when before a back vowel.

Vowels

• Sounds /i, u/ are reduced to [, ] in syllable-final position.
• /ɘ/ is heard as a lower [] sound when preceding /h/, or following /β/.
• /a/ is heard as [] when occurring after an initial bilabial sound.

References

• Granadillo, Tania. 2019. El mapoyo y la rama venezolana de lenguas caribes. Cadernos de Etnolingüística, volume 7, número 1, julho/2019, p. 43-55.

External links

• Yabarana word list