Where are the Guahibo languages spoken?

These languages are spoken mainly in Colombia; there are also speakers of Sikuani in Venezuela.

Total number of speakers (estimates)

Around 23,000 according to the figures provided by Dixon & Aikhenvald (D&A, 1999)

Around 40,000 according to ethnologue.com (SIL)

The figures provided by the UNESCO are too fragmented for a possible global evaluation.

Classification

Cuiba: 2,445 speakers according to the UNESCO, 2,830 according to the SIL, 2,000 according to D&A

Sikuani (alternative names: Guahibo, Hiwi): 34,000 speakers according to the UNESCO and the SIL, 20,000 according to D&A

Guayabero: 1,118 according to the UNESCO, 2,000 according to the SIL, 800 according to D&A

Hitnü (alternative name: Macaguán): 1,010 speakers according to the SIL, 180 according to D&A

Playero: 240 speakers according to the SIL, 150 according to D&A

Notes on the Guahibo language classification

We hereby follow the classification established by Dixon & Aikhenvald (D&A, 1999).

Guahibo and Cuiba are two groups of dialects; Macaguán and Playero are sometimes listed as Guahibo dialects. Depending in sources, the number of these languages is between 3 and 5.

The Guahibo languages have occasionally been classified within the Arawak family, but the similarities between these two groups are nowadays imputed to linguistic contacts.

Are the Guahibo languages endangered?

Yes, all of them are.

Macaguán and Guyabero could be the most threatened.

The UNESCO considers Cuiba as “seriously endangered”, and Guahibo as “vulnerable”. The UNESCO provides no information regarding the vitality of Playero, however there is but little doubt that it is also under threat.

Sources

Dixon, R.M.W. & Aikhenvald, A.Y. “Other small families and isolates” in The Amazonian languages, R.M.W. Dixon and Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald, Cambridge University Press (1999).

Campbell, Lyle. American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1997).