Tupari languages

The Tuparí languages of Brazil form a branch of the Tupian language family.

Internal classification

The Tupari languages are:

• Tupari
• Makuráp
• Nuclear Tupari
• Akuntsu–Mekéns (Sakirabiá, Waratégaya)
• Tuparí, Kepkiriwát, Wayoró

None are spoken by more than a few hundred people.

A more recent internal classification by Nikulin & Andrade (2020) is given below:

• Tuparian
• Makurap
• Core Tuparian
• Wayoró–Tuparí
• Wayoró
• Tuparí
• Corumbiara
• Mekéns
• Akuntsú

Varieties

Below is a list of Tupari language varieties listed by Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties.

• Tupari
• Macuráp group
• Macuráp - spoken at the sources of the Colorado River (Rondônia).
• Kanuːa / Koaratíra / Canoê - spoken in the valley of Apidía and on the middle course of the Verde River, Rondônia.
• Amniapé - spoken at the sources of the Mequéns River.
• Guaratégaja / Mequen - spoken at the sources of the Verde River and Mequéns River in the same region.
• Kabishiana - spoken between the Corumbiara River and Verde River, Rondônia.
• Wayoró / Wyarú - spoken at the sources of the Terevinto River and Colorado River (Rondônia).
• Apichum - spoken in the same region but exact location unknown.
• Tupari / Wakaraü - once spoken on the upper course of the Branco River or São Simão River, the same territory; now probably extinct.
• Kepkeriwát group
• Kepkeriwát / Quepi-quiri-uate - spoken on the right bank of the Pimenta Bueno River.

Proto-language

Proto-Tuparí reconstructions by Moore and Vilacy Galucio (1994):

Syntax

In all Tuparian languages, the main clauses follow the cross-linguistically rare nominative–absolutive pattern. Person prefixes on the verb are absolutive, i.e., they index the sole argument of an intransitive verb (S) and the patient argument ('direct object') of a transitive verb (P). Person pronouns, which follow the verb (either cliticizing to it or not) are nominative: they may encode the sole argument of an intransitive verb (S) or the agent argument of a transitive verb (A), but not the patient of a transitive verb (P). The example below is from Wayoró.

<section begin="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/><div style="display:none;"> V:verb </div><section end="list-of-glossing-abbreviations"/>

References

External links

• Amazonian Languages of Rondônia and Bolivia