Maxakalí language
| Maxakalí | |
|---|---|
| Tikmũũn yĩy ax Mãxakani yĩy ax | |
| Pronunciation | [tɪjmɨ̃ˈʔ̰ɨ̃ɰ̃ə̯̃ ɲɪ̃j̃ ʔɑj] [tɪjk˺mɯ̃ʔˈɯ̃ɜ̯ ̃n˺ɲɪ̃ j̃ ɲˈaj] [mɒ̃tɕakaˈd̪i ɲɪ̃j̃ ʔɑj] |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Minas Gerais |
| Ethnicity | Maxakali |
Native speakers | 2,076 (2014) |
Macro-Jê
| |
Early form | Old Machacari
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mbl |
| Glottolog | west2636 |
| ELP | Maxakalí |
Maxakali is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Maxakalí (Maxakalí: Tikmũũn yĩy ax', Mãxakani yĩy ax: 22 ) is a Maxakalían language spoken in four villages in Minas Gerais, Brazil, by more than 2,000 people.: 30 It is the primary language of the Maxakalí people. There is no known dialectal variation within Maxakalí. The language is characterized by a unique phonology, including vowel lowering and backing, and the absence of fricatives and nasals. Maxakalí typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, and verbs are inflected for mood. The Maxakalí lexicon includes verbal number, noun compounding, and lexical borrowings from Língua Geral varieties and Brazilian Portuguese.