Arikapú language

Arikapú
Maxubí
Native to	Brazil
Region	Rondônia, at the headwaters of the Rio Branco
Ethnicity	32 (2009)
Native speakers	2 (2009)
Language family	Macro-Gê ? Yabutian Arikapú
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ark
Glottolog	arik1265
File:Lang Status 20-CR.svg Arikapú is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Arikapú or Maxubí is an endangered Yabutian language. Loukotka (1968) lists Arikapú and Maxubí as separate languages. Arikapú is spoken on the Branco River south of the Tuparí tribe. Maxubí is spoken on the Mequéns River.

Speakers

In 1998, Arikapú was spoken by only six individuals in Rondônia, Brazil, at the headwaters of the Rio Branco. By 2015, Djeoromitxi (2015) reported there were only two remaining speakers, namely the two sisters Nazaré Wadjidjika Arikapu and Nambuika Arikapu. It is being supplanted by Portuguese.

Phonology

Arikapú alphabet

a

ä

b

d

dj

e

h

i

ï

k

'

m

n

o

p

r

t

tx

u

ü

y

w

Nasalisation is indicated by a tilde on the vowel : ⟨ã ä̃ ẽ ĩ õ ũ⟩.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i ĩ	ɨ	u ũ
Near-close	ɪ
Close-mid	e ẽ		o õ
Mid		ə ə̃
Open		a ãʌ̃

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m	n
Plosive	p	t			k	ʔ ⟨ʼ⟩
Affricate			t͡ʃ ⟨tx⟩
Fricative						h
Approximant				j ⟨y⟩	w
Flap		ɾ ⟨r⟩

External links

• Arikapú basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
• Lev, Michael; Stark, Tammy; Chang, Will (2012). "Phonological inventory of Arikapú". The South American Phonological Inventory Database (version 1.1.3 ed.). Berkeley: University of California: Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Digital Resource.