Akwáwa is a Tupi–Guarani dialect cluster spoken in Pará in western Brazil.

Akwáwa
Native toBrazil
RegionPará
EthnicitySuruí do Pará, Asuriní, Parakanã
Native speakers
1,500 (2012)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
asu – Asuriní
mdz – Suruí
pak – Parakanã
Glottologtupi1284

Dialects

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There are three distinct dialects:[2]

  • Asuriní (of Tocantins or Trocará), or Akwawa
  • Suruí (of Tocantins or Pará), or Akewara
  • Parakanã, Awaeté

Both the name Asuriní and Suruí are used for related peoples and their languages: Suruí of Jiparaná, Suruí of Rondônia, Asuriní of Xingú, etc.

Phonology

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The following is the Parakanã dialect:[3]

Vowels

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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

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

Notes

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  1. ^ Asuriní at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
    Suruí at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
    Parakanã at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  2. ^ Cheryl Jensen, 1999, "Tupí-Guaraní", in Dixon & Aikhenvald, The Amazonian Languages
  3. ^ Souza e Silva, Auristéa Caetana (1999). Aspectos da referência alternada em Parakanã. Universidade Federal do Pará.