Goyaz Jê languages
The Goyaz Jê languages are a branch of the Jê languages constituted by the Northern Jê languages and Panará. Together with the Akuwẽ (Central Jê) languages, they form the Cerrado branch of the Jê family.
Phonology
Onsets
The consonantal inventory of Proto-Goyaz Jê is almost identical to that of Proto-Northern Jê, differing from it in that it had no contrast between *ĵ and *j and lacked the phoneme */w/. Proto-Goyaz Jê did have the sounds *ĵ and *j, but they occurred in a complementary distribution at that stage. In Proto-Northern Jê, words with */w/ and */j/ have been introduced from unknown sources, as in *wet ‘lizard’, *wewe ‘butterfly’, or *jət ‘sweet potato’.In Proto-Goyaz Jê, underlying nasals acquired an oral phrase preceding an oral nucleus.
The following table shows the usual reflexes of the Proto-Goyaz Jê onsets in Proto-Northern Jê and in Panará.
| Proto-Goyaz Jê | Proto-Northern Jê | Panará |
| *p */p/ | *p */p/ | p /p/ |
| *mb */m/ | *mb */mb/ | np /m/ |
| *m */m/ | *m */m/ | m /m/ |
| *pr */pɾ/ | *pr */pɾ/ | pj /pj/, pr /pɾ/ |
| *mbr */mɾ/ | *mbr */mɾ/ | npj /mj/, npr /mɾ/ |
| *mr */mɾ/ | *mr */mɾ/ | ? |
| *b */b/ | *b */b/ | p /p/ |
| *t */t/ | *t */t/ | t /t/ |
| *nd */n/ | *nd */n/ | nt /n/ |
| *n */n/ | *n */n/ | n /n/ |
| *d */d/ | *d */d/ | h /∅/ |
| *r */ɾ/ | *r */ɾ/ | j /j/, r /ɾ/ |
| *c */c/ | *c */c/ | s /s/ |
| *nĵ */ɲ/ | *nĵ */ɲ/ | ns /ɲ/ |
| *ñ */j/ | *ñ */ɟ/ | j /j/ |
| *ĵ */j/ | *ĵ */ɟ/ | s /s/ |
| *j */j/ | *j */ɟ/ | j /j/ |
| *k */k/ | *k */k/ | k /k/ |
| *ŋg */ŋ/ | *ŋg /ŋ/ | nk /ŋ/ |
| *ŋ */ŋ/ | *ŋ /ŋ/ | nk /ŋ/ |
| *kr */kɾ/ | *kr /kɾ/ | kj /kj/, kr /kɾ/ |
| *ŋgr */ŋɾ/ | *ŋgr /ŋɾ/ | ŋkj /ŋj/ |
| *ŋr */ŋɾ/ | *ŋr /ŋɾ/ | ŋkj /ŋj/ |
| *g */g/ | *g /g/ | k /k/ |
Innovations
There are phonological and lexical innovations which identify Goyaz Jê as a valid group.Fortition of */w j/
In the Goyaz Jê languages, Proto-Cerrado *w is mostly reflected as a stop. This has been attributed to the sound change Proto-Cerrado *w > Proto-Goyaz Jê *b. Examples:- Proto-Cerrado *wĩ > Proto-Goyaz Jê *bĩ ‘to kill '’;
- Proto-Cerrado *waj’ > Proto-Goyaz Jê *ba ‘I '’;
- Proto-Cerrado *wê > Proto-Goyaz Jê *bê ‘ablative and malefactive’;
- Proto-Cerrado *jawê > Proto-Goyaz Jê *jabê ‘trustworthy’;
- Proto-Cerrado *wêkê > Proto-Goyaz Jê *bêkê ‘partridge’.
Nasalization of */a u y/
The oral vowels */a u y/ of Proto-Cerrado were nasalized preceding the nasal coda *-m’ in Proto-Goyaz Jê:- Proto-Cerrado *kumtym’ > Proto-Goyaz Jê *kũmtỹm ‘capybara’;
- Proto-Cerrado *tum’ > Proto-Goyaz Jê *tũm ‘old’, etc.
Lowering of */y/ after velars
The vowel *y of Proto-Cerrado was lowered to *ə after velar onsets.- Proto-Cerrado *kyj’ > Proto-Goyaz Jê *kə ‘skin, bark, cover’;
- Proto-Cerrado *ky > Proto-Goyaz Jê *kə ‘to sing ', to whistle’;
- Proto-Cerrado *ky > Proto-Goyaz Jê *kə ‘to cut '’;
- Proto-Cerrado *ŋgy > Proto-Goyaz Jê *ŋgə ‘men's house’.
Other changes
Other changes include:- loss of the Proto-Cerrado codas *-m, *-n, *-j’;
- Proto-Cerrado *-pr > Proto-Goyaz Jê *-r;
- Proto-Cerrado *-d > Proto-Goyaz Jê *-r;
- Proto-Cerrado *ja > Proto-Goyaz Jê *jê ~ *î;
- Proto-Cerrado *wa > Proto-Goyaz Jê *wa ~ *û ;
- Proto-Cerrado *pᵊ- > Proto-Goyaz Jê *py-/''*pu-''.