Northern Jê languages

Northern Jê
Geographic
distribution
Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Pará, Maranhão
Linguistic classificationMacro-Jê
Subdivisions
Language codes
Glottologcore1264

The Northern Jê:6 or Core Jê languages (Portuguese: Jê Setentrionais) are a branch of the Jê languages constituted by the Timbira dialect continuum (which includes Canela, Krahô, Pykobjê, Krikati, Parkatêjê, and Kỳikatêjê) and a number of languages spoken to the west of the Tocantins River, the Trans-Tocantins languages Apinajé, Mẽbêngôkre, Kĩsêdjê, and Tapayúna. Together with Panará (and its predecessor, Southern Kayapó), they form the Goyaz branch of the family.

The term Northern Jê has been sometimes used to refer to a broader group of languages, which also includes Panará and Southern Kayapó.:547 In this article, the label Northern Jê is used in the narrow sense (that is, excluding Panará and Southern Kayapó).