Tacana is a Western Tacanan language spoken by some 1,800 Tacana people in Bolivia out of an ethnic population of 5,000. They live in the forest along the Beni and Madre de Dios rivers in the north of La Paz Department. Numerous dialects, now extinct, have been attributed to Tacana: Ayaychuna, Babayana, Chiliuvo, Chivamona, Idiama (Ixiama), Pamaino, Pasaramona, Saparuna, Siliama, Tumupasa (Maracani, "Tupamasa"), Uchupiamona, Yabaypura, and Yubamona (Mason 1950).

Tacana
Native toBolivia
RegionLa Paz Department (Bolivia)
Ethnicity7,400 (2012)[1]
Native speakers
1,200 (2012)[1]
Tacanan
  • Araona–Tacanan
    • Cavinena–Tacana
      • Tacana Proper
        • Tacana
Official status
Official language in
 Bolivia
Language codes
ISO 639-3tna
Glottologtaca1256
ELPTacana

Phonology edit

Consonants edit

Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Post-
alveolar
Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d
Affricate t͡s t͡ʃ
Fricative voiceless s ʃ h
voiced β ð
Nasal m n
Rhotic ɾ r
Semivowel w j

Vowels edit

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e
Open a

[2]

External links edit

  1. ^ a b Tacana at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  2. ^ Lazarte, Manuel L.; Van Wynen, Donald & Mabel (1962). Fonemas tacana y modelos de acentuación. Cochabamba: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano.