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Makú language family
Where are the Makú languages spoken?
These languages are spoken in South America: in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Total number of speakers (estimates)
Between 3,300 and 3,900 speakers according to the figures provided by Silvana & Valteir Martins (SVM, 1999).
The figures provided by the UNESCO are too fragmented to be included in a global evaluation.
Classification
The Makú language family counts 7 active languages at this point.
Middle Rio Negro branch
Nadëb-Kuyawi
Nadëb: 350 speakers according to the UNESCO, 400 according to SVM
Kuyawi: 20 speakers according to SVM
Upper Rio Negro branch
Daw: 120 speakers according to the UNESCO, 83 according to SVM
Hupda-Yuhup
Hupda: 3,400 speakers according to the UNESCO, 1,900 according to SVM
Yuhup: 1,200 speakers according to the UNESCO, 400 according to SVM
Kakua-Kukak
Kakua (alternative name: Nukak): 220 speakers according to SVM
Kukak: 300 to 600 speakers according to SVM
Notes on the Makú languages classification
We hereby follow the classification established by Silvana & Valteir Martins (SVM, 1999).
The Makú language family and the Makú language are not to be confused. The Makú language is an isolate spoken around the boarder between Brazil and Venezuela, and there is absolutely no evidence supporting a linguistic relation between the Makú language and the language family of the same name.
Hypothetical associations of the Makú languages with the Puinave and Makú isolates have been suggested, but they remain hypothetical at this point.
NB. The term Makú can be regarded as negative, although it is broadly used within the linguistics community: it may derive from the term standing for “slave” in some Tupis languages.
Are the Makú languages endangered?
Yes, most of the Makú languages are considered as “endangered” by the UNESCO (level 2 on a scale of 5).
The two Hupda-Yuhup languages are regarded as the most active in this family, yet the figures provided by the UNESCO appear rather optimistic compared to those provided by SVM.
With only around 20 speakers (according to SVM), Kuyawi can undoubtedly be considered as critically threatened.
Sources
Martins Silvana & Valteir (1999) « Makú » in R.M.W. Dixon and Alexandra Y.Aikhenvald, (eds) The Amazonian languages, Cambridge University Press.
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