Piaroa is an Indigenous language of Venezuela and Colombia, spoken by the Piaroa people. It is a member of the Piaroa–Saliban languages, and was spoken by 14,500 people in 2017.
Classification Piaroa is related to the Wirö language (commonly called by the pejorative term "Maco"), to which it is closely related, the two forming a Piaroan branch, and Saliba, composing a language family called Piaroa–Saliban. Piaroa–Saliban has been linked to various language families in the region, include Hoti, Betoi–Jirara, and Ticuna–Yuri.Jolkesky, M. 2016. Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas. Brasilia: UnB. PhD Dissertation. Wirö is so close to Piaroa that some authors have incorrectly classified it as a dialect of Piaroa. A fourth Piaroa–Saliban language has been claimed, Ature, but no data was ever collected for it and it is now extinct. The relationship between Piaroa and Saliba was first recognized by Filippo Salvatore Gilii in 1782.
Status Piaroa was spoken by about 14,500 people in 2017. The language is spoken vigorously by all generations of Piaroa people.
Alternate names Piaroa is called by many names, including variations of Wotuja, Wo’tiheh, and Huottüja.
Phonology +ConsonantsBilabialDentalAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalplainlab.plainlab.StopPlainptkkʷʔAspiratedpʰ~ɸtʰkʰkʰʷEjectivepʼtʼkʼkʷʼGlottalˀbˀdAffricatePlaint͡ʃ~t͡sAspiratedt͡sʰEjectivet͡sʼFricativeshˣhˣʷNasalmnFlap/LateralɾʎApproximantj~dʲw Palatalization of /k, kʰ, kʼ, hˣ/ may occur when before front vowels as [kʲ, kʲʰ, kʲʼ, hʲ].
/pʰ/ is in free variation with [ɸ].
Phonemes /j/ and /t͡ʃ/ may have allophones of [dʲ, t͡s].
+VowelsFrontCentralBackCloseiɨu ɯMideɤ~oOpenæɑ~ɒ Vowels /ɤ, ɑ/ are rounded as [o, ɒ] when after labial consonants.
Nasalization is analyzed as a suprasegmental feature.
Morphology Two genders are distinguished in Piaroa, masculine and feminine.
Syntax
Word order Preferred word order in Piaroa is subject–object–verb word order.
References
External links Huottüją Foundation, Piaroa nonprofit organization