Nambikwaran languages

Nambikwaran
Geographic
distribution		 Mato Grosso, Brazil
Linguistic classification One of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions
Glottolog namb1299[1]
{{{mapalt}}}

The Nambikwaran languages are a language family of half a dozen languages, all spoken in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil. They have traditionally been considered dialects of a single language, but at least three of them are mutually unintelligible.

The varieties of Mamaindê are often seen as dialects of a single language, but are treated as separate Northern Nambikwaran languages by Ethnologue. Sabanê is a single speech community and thus has no dialects, while the Nambikwara language has been described as having eleven.[2]

The total number of speakers is estimated to be about 1,500, with Nambikwara proper being 80% of that number.[3] Most Nambikwara are monolingual but some young men speak Portuguese.[4] Especially the men of the Sabanê group are trilingual, speaking both Portuguese and Mamainde.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Nambiquaran". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  2. ↑ Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
  3. ↑ Nambiquaran languages. Ethnologue. Retrieved on 2012-07-29.
  4. ↑ Kroeker, 2001 p. 1
  5. ↑ Ethnologue. Ethnologue. Retrieved on 2012-07-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.