Tequiraca (Tekiráka), also known as Abishira,[2] Aiwa (Aewa, Aʔɨwa), Ixignor,[3] or Vacacocha, is an extinct language once spoken in Peru. In 1925 there were between 50 and 80 speakers in Puerto Elvira on Lake Vacacocha (connected with the Napo River). It is presumed extinct some time in the mid 20th century, though in 2008 two rememberers were found and 160 words and short sentences were recorded.[4] Today, most ethnic Aiwa people have shifted to Kichwa and Spanish.[5]

Tequiraca
Aiwa, Aewa
Abishira
Native toPeru
RegionPuerto Elvira
EthnicityAiwa
Extinctmid-20th century
Language codes
ISO 639-3ash
Glottologabis1238
ELPTequiraca

The little data available show it to not be closely related to other languages, though a distant connection to Canichana was proposed by Kaufman (1994).

Jolkesky (2016) also notes that there are lexical similarities with Taushiro, likely as a result of prehistoric contact within the circum-Marañón interaction sphere.[6]

Phonology

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Consonants

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Bilabial Dental/
Alveolar
Palatal/
Postalveolar
Velar Uvular
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive Voiceless p t k q
Ejective
Affricate t͡ʃ
Fricative s x
Approximant Central v j w
Lateral l ʎ
Rhotic r

Vowels

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A I U O E
short /a/ /i/ /u/ /o/ /ɛ/, /e/
long /aː/ /i:/ /u:/ /o:/ /ɛː/, /eː/

[:] is the verbalizer[clarification needed]

[7]

Vocabulary

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Michael & Beier (2012)

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Aiwa lexical items listed in Michael & Beier (2012):[8]

gloss Aiwa (aˈʔɨwa)
(my) husband (kun) aˈʃap
(my) head (kun) ˈhuti
(my) brother (kun) auˈʃaʔ
(my) knee (kun) kuˈpɨnu
1st person pronoun kun
2nd person pronoun kin
3rd person pronoun, demonstrative jan
agouti aʃˈpali
alone, single iˈʃam
approach jaˈsik
autonym aˈʔɨwa
ayahuasca lukˈʔãk
barbasco (fish poison) maˈlahi
basket ˈhaʔu
bathe! haɾ kin tsuk
big tuˈkut
big head hutuˈluk
big-bellied person aˈɾuh tʃuˈluk
bird sp. (woodpecker) isaˈɾawi
bird sp. (paujil) wiˈkoɾõ
bird sp. (partridge) hũʔˈʃũlũ
bird sp. (pucacunga) ɾoˈʔele
bird sp. (vaca muchacho) kʷãˈʔũli
blue and yellow macaw alkahˈneke
breast aˈkiʃ
caiman amˈhala
canoe aˈtɾewa
capuchin monkey sp. ɾũtɾũˈkʲãwã
capuchin monkey sp. waˈnaha
cat sp. (tigrillo) hũhũkũˈpãʔ
cleared path tasˈʔãʔĩ
clothing kuhˈpaw
coati ʃakˈɾaɾa
come! ˈsikʷas
cooking fire asˈkʷãwa
corn suˈkala
cotton nuiˈnui
deer atɾiˈwaʔa
earth ahulˈtaʔ
eat! iˈtakʷas
eye jaˈtuk
firewood wiɾuˈkawa
garden tahaˈɾũʔũ
give ɨˈwɨt
have sex hiˈtʃinuas
here ˈhiɾwas
hit ˈpɨwas
I am bathing kun inˈtsukwas
jaguar miˈala
leaf iˈɾapi
little woman aslantaˈnia
little, a little bit iˈʃikta
masato, yuca beer nutˈnɨt
monk saki monkey sp. kʷɨˈɾiɾi
mosquito wiˈʃala
no ˈtʃahtaɾ
non-indigenous person ˈpaɾi
penis jatˈhaka
pepper aˈlaha
potato variety jaunaˈhi
red macaw milahˈneke
see uˈkaik
snake auˈʔek
squirrel monkey siˈaʔa
stingray sp. hamˈham
stingray sp. makɾaˈlasi
sugar cane raiwãˈʔãk
sun, moon, God akɾeˈwak
tamarin monkey aslʲaˈʔãũ
tapir ˈsahi
tree ˈau
white-lipped peccary ɾaˈkãʔõ
? niˈkʲaw

Table comparing Aiwa (Tequiraca) with Waorani, Iquito, and Maijiki (mã́ḯhˈkì; Orejón) from Michael & Beier (2012):[8]

gloss Aiwa (aˈʔɨwa) Waorani Iquito Maijiki (mã́ḯhˈkì)
white-lipped peccary ɾaˈkãʔõ ˈɨɾæ̃ anitáaki bɨ́ɾɨ́
tapir ˈsahi ˈtitæ pɨsɨ́kɨ békɨ́
collared peccary iˈhaɾa ˈãmũ kaáʃi káókwã̀
deer atɾiˈwaʔ koˈwãnʲɪ ʃikʲáaha nʲámà, bósá
red macaw milahˈneke ˈæ̃wæ̃ anápa
mosquito wiˈʃala ˈgʲijɪ anaáʃi mɨ́tè
(my) mother (kun) ˈama ˈbaɾã áni, (ki) niatíha (jì) hàkò, bɨ́ákò
(my) father (kun) ha ˈmæ̃mpo ákɨ, (ki) kakɨ́ha (jì) hàkɨ̀, bɨ́ákɨ̀
person, compatriot aˈʔɨwa waɨɤˈɾãni árata ɨyáana mã́ĩ́
(my) husband (kun) aˈʃap nãnɨˈɡæ̃ŋã ahaáha, (ki) níjaaka (jì) ɨ̃́hɨ̃́
head ˈhuti ɨˈkabu ánaka tʃṍbɨ̀
ear ʃuˈɾala ɨ̃nɨ̃ˈmɨ̃ŋka túuku ɡã́hòɾò
breast aˈkiʃ ɤɨˈɨ̃mæ̃ ʃipɨɨ́ha óhéjò
pepper (hot or sweet) aˈlaha ˈɡʲĩmũ napɨ́ki bíà
cotton nuiˈnui ˈdajɨ̃ sɨ́wɨ jɨ́í
leaf iˈɾapi ɨ̃ˈnʲabu, ɨdʲɨ̃ iímɨ, naámɨ hàò
plantain aˈlaʔa pæ̃ˈæ̃næ̃ samúkʷaati ò
corn suˈkala kaˈɤĩŋɨ̃ siíkiraha béà
cooking fire asˈkʷãwa ˈɡɨ̃ŋa iinámi tóà
canoe aˈtɾewa ˈwipu iímina jóù
house atˈku, atˈkua ˈɨ̃ŋkɨ̃ íita
firewood wiɾuˈkawa tɪ̃ˈnɪ̃wæ̃ háraki héká
yuca or corn beer nutˈnɨt ˈtɪpæ̃ itíniiha gónó
stone nuˈklahi ˈdika sawíha ɨ́nò, ɡɨ́nò
sun akreˈwak ˈnæ̃ŋkɪ nunamíja mã́ĩ̀
small iˈʃikta ˈɡʲiijã sɨsanuríka jàɾì
what? iˈkiɾi kʲĩnɨ̃ saáka ɨ̃́ɡè
where? ˈnahɾi æjɨ̃ˈmɨ̃nɨ̃ tɨɨ́ti káɾó
no ˈtʃahtar ˈwĩĩ kaa -mà
come! sik, ˈsikʷas ˈpũɪ aníma dáímà

Loukotka (1968)

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Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Auishiri.[3]

gloss Auishiri
one ismáwa
two kismáõ
head a-waréke
eye o-toroã
woman aslané
fire yaháong
sun akroák
maize sukála
house atkúa
white sukeé

Sources

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Earlier lexical sources
  • Tessmann, Günter. 1930. Die Indianer Nordost-Perus: Grundlegende Forschungen für eine Systematische Kulturkunde. Hamburg: Friederichsen, De Gruyter & Co. (112 lexical items)
  • Espinoza, Lucas. 1955. Contribuciones lingüísticas y etnográficas sobre algunos pueblos indígenas del Amazonas peruano. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto Bernardino de Sahagún. (17 lexical items)
  • Villarejo, Avencio. 1959. La selva y el hombre. Editorial Ausonia. (93 lexical items)

References

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  1. ^ Clark, Patricia Roberts (21 October 2009). Tribal Names of the Americas: Spelling Variants and Alternative Forms, Cross-Referenced. McFarland. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7864-5169-2.
  2. ^ Alternate spellings include Abigira, Abijira, Abira, Awishiri, Abixira[1] Avishiri, Auishiri, Agouisiri, Avirxiri, Abiquira.
  3. ^ a b Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
  4. ^ "Cabeceras Aid Project Winter 2010 Update". Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. ^ Epps, Patience; Michael, Lev, eds. (2023). Amazonian Languages: Language Isolates. Volume I: Aikanã to Kandozi-Chapra. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-041940-5.
  6. ^ Jolkesky, Marcelo Pinho de Valhery (2016). Estudo arqueo-ecolinguístico das terras tropicais sul-americanas (Ph.D. dissertation) (2 ed.). Brasília: University of Brasília.
  7. ^ Cole, Peter; Hermon, Gabriella; Martin, Mario Daniel (1994). Language in the Andes. United States of America: Latin American Studies. pp. 301–317.
  8. ^ a b Michael, Lev and Christine Beier. 2012. Phonological sketch and classification of Aʔɨwa [ISO 639: ash]. Paper presented at the 2012 Winter meeting of the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA), Portland, OR, January 6, 2012.