Guarayu (Guarayú: Gwarayú, nyanyanye, ñañañe, guarani'ete) is a Tupian language of Bolivia that is spoken by the Guarayo people who number 23,910 in 2012.[2]

Guarayu
Gwarayú, nyanyanye, ñañañe, guarani'ete
Native toBolivia, Paraguay
RegionSanta Cruz, Boquerón
Ethnicity12,000 (2012)[1]
Native speakers
8,400 (2012)[1]
Tupian
Official status
Official language in
 Bolivia
Language codes
ISO 639-3gyr
Glottologguar1292
ELPGuarayu

The name Guarayu (Gwarayú) is a variant of Guarayo, which when used in a pejorative sense refers to several indigenous peoples in the area with the meaning of 'savage' or 'uncultured'.

The origin of the names is Guara meaning "warrior", and yu "pale" (yellow or white). Compared to other Guarani peoples, the Gwarayú are lighter in colour, and bear a striking resemblance to another Guarani group found in Paraguay the Ache.[citation needed]

There were some 30 speakers of Guarayu in Paraguay as of 2012. [3]

Phonology

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Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i, ĩ ɨ, ɨ̃ u, ũ
Mid e, ẽ o, õ
Open a, ã
Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lab.
Nasal central m n ɲ
post-ploded mᵇ nᵈ
Stop voiceless p t k ʔ
pre-ploded ᶢw
prenasal vl. (ᵐp) (ⁿt) (ᵑk)
prenasal vd. ᵑɡ ᵑᶢw
Affricate t͡s t͡ʃ
Fricative β s
Tap ɾ
Glide j w
  • [ᵐp, ⁿt, ᵑk] are heard as allophones of /p, t, k/ when in nasal vowel position.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Guarayu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  2. ^ "Censo de Población y Vivienda 2012 Bolivia Características de la Población". Instituto Nacional de Estadística, República de Bolivia. p. 29. Archived from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  3. ^ "PROEL, Lengua Guarayú".
  4. ^ Danielsen, Swintha (2020). Gwarayu Ñe’ësa 3: Revista sobre la lengua guarayu - Número 3. Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Further reading

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  • Anónimo (2005). Gwarayu Ñe’ë, diccionario guarayo - castellano - guarayo. Cochabamba: Sociedad Bíblica Boliviana.
  • Hoeller, Alfredo (1932). Guarayo-Deutsches Wörterbuch. Guarayos: Verlag der Missionsprokura der P.P. Franziskaner, Hall in Tirol.
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