Jirajaran languages
The Jirajaran languages are group of extinct languages once spoken in western Venezuela in the regions of Falcón and Lara. All of the Jirajaran languages appear to have become extinct in the early 20th century. According to Glottolog, its languages constitute a language isolate.
Languages
Based on adequate documentation, three languages are definitively classified as belonging to the Jirajaran family:- Jirajara, spoken in the state of Falcón
- Ayomán, spoken in the village of Siquisique in the state of Lara
- Gayón, spoken at the sources of the Tocuyo River in the state of Lara
- Coyone, spoken at the sources of the Portuguesa River in the state of Portuguesa, sometimes considered a synonym for Gayon
- Cuiba, spoken near the city of Aricagua
- Atatura, spoken between the Rocono and Tucupido rivers
- Aticari, spoken along the Tocuyo River
- Gayón
- Ayomán
- Xagua
- *Cuiba
- '''Jirajara'''
Classification
Language contact
Jolkesky notes that there are lexical similarities with the Sape, Timote-Kuika, and Puinave-Kak language families due to contact.Typology
Based on the little documentation that exists, a number of typological characteristics are reconstructable:;1. VO word order in transitive clauses
;2. Subjects precede verbs
;3. Possessors which precede the possessed
;4. Adjectives follow the nouns they modify
;5. Numerals precede the nouns they quantify
;6. Use of postpositions, rather than prepositions
Vocabulary comparison
Jahn lists the following basic vocabulary items.Loukotka lists the following basic vocabulary items.