Shiwiar, also known as Achuar, Jivaro and Maina, is a Chicham language spoken along the Pastaza and Bobonaza rivers in Ecuador. Shiwiar is one of the thirteen indigenous languages of Ecuador.[2] All of these indigenous languages are endangered.[2]
| Achuar | |
|---|---|
| Shiwiar | |
| Native to | Peru, Ecuador |
| Ethnicity | Achuar people, Shiwiar |
Native speakers | 4,420 in Peru (2012)[1] 3,520 in Ecuador (2007)[1] |
Chicham
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | acu |
| Glottolog | achu1248 |
| ELP | Achuar |
Speakers
Shiwiar is a language spoken by the Achuar people of the Amazonian region of Ecuador.[3] The Achuar people also speak Spanish, Shuar, and Kichwa along with their native language, Shiwiar.[3] Shuar belongs to the same language family as Shiwiar – Jivaroan.[3]
Although the Achuar live in the Amazon Basin, the extracting of oil and raw materials from Ecuador through mining has displaced the Achuar communities and endangered their homes.[4]
While Ecuador's official language is Spanish, the Achuar people along with other indigenous groups have the right to use their own languages in education through the official language policies of Ecuador legalized in Decree No. 000529, Article 27, and the Dirección Nacional de Educación Indígena Intercultural Bilingüe (DINEIIB).[5]
Phonology
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
| Stop | p | t | k | ʔ | ||
| Affricate | ts | tʃ | ||||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | x | |||
| Approximant | j | w | ||||
| Tap | ɾ |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i ĩ iː | u ũ uː | |
| Close-mid | ɘ ɘ̃ ɘː[7] | ||
| Open | a ã aː |
- /i/ and /u/ have slightly lowered allophones [ɪ] and [ʊ], respectively.[8][in which environments?]
- /a, ã, aː/ are phonetically central [a̠, ã̠, a̠ː].[8]
References
Bibliography
- Fast Mowitz, G. (1975), Sistema fonológico del idioma achual (in Spanish), Lima: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano
- Lev, Michael; Stark, Tammy; Chang, Will (2012). "Phonological inventory of Achuar-Shiwiar". The South American Phonological Inventory Database (version 1.1.3 ed.). Berkeley: University of California: Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Digital Resource.
- Mowitz, G.; Warkentin de Fast, R.; Fast Warkentin, D. (1996), Diccionario achuar-shiwiar–castellano, Lingüística peruana, 36 (in Spanish), Lima: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano
- Kohlberger, M. (2020). A Grammatical Description of Shiwiar (PhD thesis). Leiden University. hdl:1887/123115.
External links
- Dryer, Matthew S.; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Achuar". World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
- New Testament in Achuar
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Achuar
- The Shiwiar Rainforest Initiative
- Achuar–Shiwiar on Native Languages of the Americas
- Listen to a sample of Achuar-Shiwiar from Global Recordings Network
- OLAC resources in and about Achuar-Shiwiar