Cariban languages
(Redirected from Carib language)
Categories: Carib languages | Indigenous languages of the South American Northwest | Indigenous languages of the Americas stubs
The Cariban languages are an indigenous language family of South America. Carib languages are widespread across northern South America, from the mouth of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes and from Maracaibo (Venezuela) to Central Brazil. Cariban languages are relatively close to each other; in some cases, it is difficult to decide whether different groups speak different languages or dialects of the same language. Because of this, the exact number of Cariban languages is not known with certainty (current estimates range from 25 to 40, with 20 to 30 still spoken). The Cariban family is well known in the linguistic world due to Hixkaryana a language with Object-Verb-Subject sentences, previously thought not to exist in human language.
Carib-speaking peoples occupied the Lesser Antilles several hundred years ago, killing, displacing, or forcibly assimilating the Arawakan peoples who inhabited the islands. The Arawakan language was maintained by the conquered peoples and adopted by the conquering Caribs. Thus the language is called Island Carib, though it is not part of the Carib linguistic family. It is now extinct but was spoken on the Lesser Antilles until the 1920's. A linguistic descendant of Island Carib, Garífuna, a language of Honduras is also known as Caribe or Black Carib.
It has been proposed that the Cariban family may be distantly related to Macro-Je and Tupi languages in a "Je-Tupi-Carib" stock, but this is highly speculative, and the internal relationships of these families are still poorly known. Cariban itself is tentatively divided into two to four branches.
Northern Carib languages
- Coyaima
- Japrería
- Yupka
- Pemon
- Akawaio
- Patamona
- Macushi
- Atruahí
- Sikiana
- Salumá
- Waiwai
- Akuriyó
- Apalaí
- Tiriyó (Trio)
- Wayana
- Carib
- Arára, Pará
- Txikão
- Mapoyo
- Panare
- Yabarana
Southern Carib languages
- Carijona
- Hixkaryána
- Kaxuiâna
- Maquiritari
- Bakairí
- Kuikúro-Kalapálo
- Matipuhy
- Yarumá