Parakanã language

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Wikipedia

Parakanã
Native toBrazil
RegionPará
EthnicityParakanã
Native speakers
900 (2004)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3pak
Glottologpara1312
ELPParakanã

Parakanã is a Tupi-Guarani language spoken in the Brazilian state of Pará. The language is classified under the Tenetehara branch or fourth language group of Tupi-Guarani languages as suggested by Rodrigues & Cabral (2012).[2] Parakanã is a dialect of the Akwáwa cluster and is sometimes referred to as Awaeté, Parakanân or Parocana. The Parakanã are the primary speakers of their language. It has been recorded as part of the International Organization for Standardization under the Ethnologue listing pak. Their language has been transcribed and preserved by Christian missionaries for Bible translations.

Phonology

The following is the Parakanã dialect:[3]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ɨ
Mid e o
Open a
  • Vowel sounds are realized as nasalized when preceding nasal consonants.
  • /e/ can also be heard as [ɛ] when in stressed position.
  • /ɨ/ can also be heard as [ə] when preceding a vowel.
  • /a/ can be heard as back [ʌ] when in word-final position. In its nasal form, it is heard as back [ʌ̃].
  • /o/ can be heard as [u] when in unstressed position.

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lab.
Plosive p t tʃ k kʷ ʔ
Fricative β h
Nasal m n ŋ
Tap ɾ
Glide (w)
  • /β/ can also be heard as a glide [w].
  • /tʃ/ can be realized as a glide [j] in final position, and as voiced [dʒ] in intervocalic positions.

References

  1. ↑ Parakanã at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
  2. ↑ Dall’Igna Rodrigues, Aryon; Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral, Ana (2012-01-13), Campbell, Lyle; Grondona, Verónica (eds.), "Tupían", The Indigenous Languages of South America, De Gruyter, pp. 495–574, doi:10.1515/9783110258035.495, ISBN 978-3-11-025513-3, retrieved 2025-11-08
  3. ↑ Souza e Silva, Auristéa Caetana (1999). Aspectos da referência alternada em Parakanã. Universidade Federal do Pará.