Shuar language
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| Shuar | |
|---|---|
| Šiwar čičam | |
| Native to | Ecuador |
| Ethnicity | Shuar |
Native speakers | 35,000 (2007)[1] |
Jivaroan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | jiv |
| Glottolog | shua1257 |
| ELP | Shuar |
Shuar, which literally means "people", also known by such (now derogatory) terms as Chiwaro, Jibaro, Jivaro, or Xivaro, is an indigenous language spoken in the Southeastern jungle of the Morona-Santiago Province and Pastaza Province in Ecuador.
History
Twelve Indigenous languages of Ecuador are spoken today, one of which is Shuar.[2] For the past four decades, the Shuar language has been noted for its link with several political groups.
The name “Shuar” shared among the people and their language was first revealed to the Spaniards in the 17th century. The Shuar language, as it stands today, is considered part of the Jivaroan language tree, and embodies one of the most well-known tribal groups in the Amazonian jungle region.[3]
Radio schools
The geographical remoteness within the Ecuadorian rainforest isolates the Shuar and has widely scattered the people from one another. As a result, in the late 1960s, radio schools were formed to promote communication and education in both Spanish and Shuar.[2] This inadvertently transformed into a language revitalization initiative for the Shuar people. Radio schools were shut down in 2001 and replaced with formal bilingual in-class teaching.[2]
The role of the church
The radio schools were not funded by the national government. Instead, they were financially supported by Catholic missionaries who were welcomed into Shuar-speaking areas during the 1920s. Before this, they were widely resisted. However, because of the increase in trade, loss of land, and the vitality and perceived modernity of Spanish,[2] the Shuar leaned on the church for comfort.
Phonology
Consonants
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k | ||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | h | ||
| Affricate | t͡s | t͡ʃ | |||
| Trill | r | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Approximant | w | j |
Vowels/Nasals
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i ĩ | ɨ ɨ̃ | u ũ |
| Open | a ã |
References
- ^ Shuar at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d Grenoble, Lenore A (2006). Saving Languages: An introduction to language revitilization. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 78–83. ISBN 978-0-521-81621-2.
- ^ Unrepresented Nations and People Organization (UNPO). "The Shuar, a Forgotten Indigenous Community in Ecuador".
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help)[1]
- Turner, Glen D. (1958): "Alternative phonemicizing in Jivaro", in International Journal of American Linguistics 24, 2, pp. 87–94.
External links
- Dryer, Matthew S.; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Shuar". World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Shuar
- Shuar Language Guide
- The Bible in Shuar
| Official languages | |
|---|---|
| Indigenous languages | |
| Spanish varieties | |
| Sign languages | |
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