Ocaina language
Ocaina is an indigenous American language spoken in western South America.
Classification
Ocaina belongs to the Witotoan language family. It is its own group within the Huitoto-Ocaina sub-family.Geographic distribution
Ocaina is spoken by 54 people in northeastern Peru and by 12 more in the Amazonas region of Colombia. Few children speak the language.Dialects
There are two dialects of Ocaina: Dukaiya and Ibo'tsa.Phonology
Tone
Syllables in Ocaina may be marked with one of two tones: high or low.Syllables
Syllables in Ocaina consist of a vowel; single consonants may appear on either side of the vowel: V.Writing system
Ocaina is written using a Latin alphabet. A chart of symbols with the sounds they represent is as follows:| Latin | IPA |
| a | |
| b | |
| c | - |
| ch | |
| ds | |
| dy | |
| e | |
| f | |
| g | - |
| h | |
| i | |
| j | |
| k | |
| ll | |
| m | |
| m̈ | |
| n | |
| n̈ | |
| ñ | |
| ñ̈ | |
| o | |
| p | |
| qu | |
| r | |
| s | |
| sh | |
| t | |
| z | |
| ty | |
| u | |
| v | |
| x | |
| y |
- Because the Ocaina alphabet is based on Spanish, c is used to indicate before a, o, and u, qu is used before e and i, and k is used in loan words, such as kerosene "kerosene".
- Nasalization is indicated by inserting n after a vowel. Compare: tya tyója "hang it" vs. tya tyonjan "clean it".
- High tone is indicated with the acute accent: á, é, í, ó, ú.