Yuracaré language
Yuracaré is an endangered language isolate of central Bolivia in Cochabamba and Beni departments spoken by the Yuracaré people.
Speakers refer to their own language as Yurújare .
Distribution
There are 2,000–3,000 Yurakaré speakers in the upper Mamoré River valley of eastern Bolivia. They live along the Chapare and Ichilo Rivers in Cochabamba Department, as well as along the Isiboro and Sécure Rivers in Isiboro-Sécure National Park.Loukotka reported that Yuracaré was spoken at the sources of the Sécure River, and on the Chapare River and Chimoré River.
Classification
Suárez suggests a relationship between Yuracaré and the Mosetenan, Pano–Tacanan, Arawakan, and Chon families. His earlier Macro-Panoan proposal is the same minus Arawakan.Jolkesky also notes that there are lexical similarities with the Moseten-Tsimane languages.
Dialects
Two dialects, now extinct, were:- Western - Mansiño, Oromo
- Eastern - Mage, Soloto
Usage
There are approximately 2,500 speakers. These numbers are in decline as the youngest generation no longer learns the language.Documentation
Yuracaré is documented with a grammar based on an old missionary manuscript by de la Cueva. The language is currently being studied by Rik van Gijn. A Foundation for Endangered Languages grant was awarded for a Yuracaré–Spanish / Spanish–Yuracaré dictionary project in 2005.Phonology
Consonants
- The glottal stop only occurs in intervocalic positions.
- /n/ may be pronounced as when preceding /k/.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
| Close | |||
| Mid | |||
| Open |
- /ɨ/ may also be heard as a front-rounded, in free variation among speakers.
- Sounds /e, o, a/ may also be heard as when in closed syllables.