Hixkaryana is a Cariban language spoken by 600 people on the Nhamundá River, a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil. It is one of 17 languages that have object–verb–subject word order, initially described by linguist Desmond C. Derbyshire.
History
The Hixkaryana are first recorded under the name "Babui" or "Wabuí" in 1725. A wordlist appearing under this name published in 1947 is essentially identical with modern Hixkaryana. The name "Hixkaryana" was originally the name of one of their clans. Čestmír Loukotka (1968) lists both "Hishcariana" and "Uaiboí" in his "Waiwai group" in the Cariban languages.
Phonology
Consonants
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Hixkaryana consonants Like most other languages with objects preceding the verb, it is postpositional.
References
Bibliography
External links
- Metathesis in Hixkaryana
- Hixkaryana in SAILS database on South American languages