Makurap (Macurapi) is a Tupian language of Brazil, spoken by the Makurap people of Rondônia. Portuguese is now the primary language of the younger Makurap; older members of Indigenous peoples in the region use Makurap during 'chichada' festivals where chicha is communally consumed.[2]
| Makurap | |
|---|---|
| Macurapi | |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Rondônia |
| Ethnicity | 130 Makurap (2007)[1] |
Native speakers | (45 cited 1992)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mpu |
| Glottolog | maku1278 |
| ELP | Makurap |
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occlusive | p | t | k | ||
| Affricate | tʃ dʒ | ||||
| Fricative | (β) | ||||
| Tap/Flap | ɾ | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | (ɲ) | ŋ | |
| Approximant | w | (l) | (ɻ) | j |
Sounds /p, t, k/ are heard as voiced [b, d, ɡ] when before voiced consonants.
Sounds /p, t, tʃ, k/ are heard as unreleased [p̚, t̚, c̚, k̚] when in word-final position.
Nasal sounds /m, n, ŋ/ are heard as prenasalized stops [ᵐb, ⁿd, ᵑɡ] in syllable-initial positions in free variation.
/w/ is also heard as a fricative [β] in free variation.
/ɾ/ is also heard as liquid sounds [ɻ] and [l] in free variation.
/j/ may also be heard as an affricate [dʒ] or prenasal [ⁿdʒ] in word-initial positions, and as [ɲ] when in between nasal vowels.[3]
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unrounded | rounded | |||||
| oral | nasal | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | |
| Close | i | ĩ | ɨ | ɨ̃ | u | ũ |
| Close-mid | e | ẽ | ə̃ | o | õ | |
| Open-mid | (ɛ) | |||||
| Open | a | |||||
/e/ may also be heard as [ɛ] in free variation.
A length distinction is lost among younger speakers. For example, the words [tsãn] 'sweet' and [tsã:n] 'cold' are homophones in modern pronunciation.[2]
References
- ^ a b Makurap at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Makurap - Indigenous Peoples in Brazil". pib.socioambiental.org. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ a b c "Aspects morphosyntaxiques de la langue makurap/tupi (Braga 2005) - Biblioteca Digital Curt Nimuendajú". www.etnolinguistica.org. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
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