Shawi (Chayahuita, 'our language') is an endangered Amazonian language spoken by thousands of native Chayahuita people in the Amazon basin of north-central Peru. Spoken along the banks of the Paranapura, Cahuapanas, Sillay, and Shanusi rivers, it is also known as Chayawita, Shawi, Chawi, Tshaahui, Chayhuita, Chayabita, Shayabit, Balsapuertino, Paranapura, and Cahuapa. It is one of the most actively spoken languages in its region.

Classification

Together with the nearly extinct Shiwilu language, Shawi is a member of the Cahuapanan languages.

Dialects

Three dialects of Shawi are distinguished, Cahuapana, Chayahuita, and Paranapura.

Status

25,239 speakers of Shawi were recorded in 2017 according to the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. Its linguistic vitality is very high for a language in the Peruvian Amazon, and children are monolingual in the language until they begin school, when they are first exposed to Spanish. Speakers of the language hold much pride in Shawi, though the villages in which it is spoken are assimilating, which may lead to the loss of the language.

Phonology

Orthographical equivalents are presented in .

Vowels

Consonants

is not recognized by Rojas-Berscia (2019) as a separate phoneme, as it is exclusive to certain phonetic environments. Most consonants, including all plosives or fricatives, may not occur in the coda of a syllable. The glottal stop, however, may only occur in the coda.

Writing system

There is a 1–5% literacy rate, compared with 5–15% for Spanish, and a dictionary since 1978. The New Testament was also translated into Shawi.

Vocabulary

Selected Shawi animal names from Rojas-Berscia (2019):

1. {| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Selected animal names ! Common name !! Scientific name !! Shawi |- | possum || Didelphis marsupialis || |- | lowland paca || Cuniculus paca || ipi' |- | red squirrel || Sciurus spadiceus || pu'shi |- | bicolor porcupine || Coendou bicolor || sese |- | common rat || Rattus norvegicus || shumi |- | agouti || Dasyprocta punctata || ite' |- | capybara || Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris || tucusu' |- | pichico monkey || Saguinus fuscicollis || ishi' |- | Amazon condor || Sarcoramphus papa || tame |- | silver mylossoma || Metynnis argenteus || shite' |- | black prochilodus || Prochilodus nigricans || wanki |- | armored catfish || Pseudorinelepis genibarbis || warate' |- | wolf fish || Hoplias malabaricus || a'nanan |- | peccary || Pecari tajacu || kiraman |- | jaguar || Panthera onca || ni'ni' |- | tapir || Tapirus terrestris || pawara |- | giant otter || Pteronura brasiliensis || ini' |- | kinkajou || Potos flavus || kuwasha' |- | red howler || Alouatta seniculus || nu'nu' |- | yellow-tailed woolly monkey || Oreonax flavicauda || sura' |- | squirrel monkey || Saimiri sciureus || isen |- | bald uakari || Cacajao calvus || tekerenan |- | owl monkey || Aotus miconax || kuwi |- | spider monkey || Ateles belzebuth || tu'ya |- | pink dolphin || Inia geoffrensis || sapana' |- | shusupe || Lachesis muta || na'shi |- | common lancehead || Bothrops atrox || tayuwan |- | boa || Boa constrictor || kupiwan |- | wattled curassow || Crax globulosa || i'sa |- | bayuca caterpillar || Lonomia obliqua || tiwintata' |}

References

Further reading