Djeoromitxí language
Endangered Yabutian language of Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Djeoromitxi or Jabutí (Yabuti) is an endangered Yabutian language that is spoken by only about fifty people (though including some children) in Rondônia, Brazil, at the headwaters of the Rio Branco.
| Djeoromitxi | |
|---|---|
| Jabuti | |
| Djeoromitxi | |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Rondônia, at the headwaters of the Rio Branco |
| Ethnicity | 170 Djeoromitxí (2012)[1] |
Native speakers | 40 (2007)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | jbt |
| Glottolog | djeo1235 |
| ELP | Jabutí |
 Djeoromitxi is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Phonology
There is no tonal system in Djeoromitxí and accent is not contrastive. Morphophonological processes are rare. Syllable structure follows a (C)V pattern.[2]
Consonants
The table below shows the consonant phonemes of Djeoromitxí.[3][4]
Although Pires (1992) counts /b/ /d/ as distinct phonemes,[4] Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010) count them as allophones of /m/ /n/ before oral vowels.[3]
According to Pires (1992), [ɸ] is an allophone of /p/ before high and medium round vowels, and [ɲ] is an allophone of /n/ following the high nasal vowel /ĩ/.
While /ps/ and /bz/ only occur before /i/, they are contrastive with the other bilabial obstruents.[5]
According to Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010), /k/ is backed to [q] before [ʉ] and often aspirated before /ə/ and /u/. They also state that /p/ is realized as [ɸ] or [pɸ] before back vowels and [ʉ].
When preceded by a personal prefix, or when starting the second element of a compound, /h/ becomes /r/. With some roots, /h/ can become /n/ in a similar manner.[6]
Vowels
The tables below show the vowel phonemes of Djeoromitxí according to Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010).[3]
The accounts of Pires (1992) and Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010) basically agree[clarification needed] on the vowel phonemes.
Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010) state that /ʉ/ is often realized as [ø].[3]
According to Pires (1992), [ũ] is an allophone of /õ/ in free variation with [õ] after /h/.[7]
Grammar
Djeoromitxí has nouns, verbs, adverbs and particles, with adjectives treated as intransitive verbs. Its syntax is noun-modifier and SOV or OVS in order.[8]
The following examples demonstrate noun-modifier and SOV word order.
Pronouns and person markers
The following table shows Djeoromitxí pronominal forms.[8]
| Pronoun | Possessive/Preposition | Intransitive subject | Transitive subject | Transitive object | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | hʉ | — | — | hʉ | — |
| 2nd person | adʒɛ | a- | a- | adʒɛ | a-/adʒɛ |
| 3rd person | na | i-/N | i-/na/N | na/N | i-/N |
| 1st person plural | hirʉ | hi- | hi- | hirʉ | hi- |
| Impersonal | — | hi- | — | — | i-/ɛ- |
The use of the forms is illustrated in the following examples:[11]
hʉ
I
hamə
tired
'I'm tired'
adʒɛ
you
a-
2-
ramə
tired
'You're tired'
nikʉ
field
'my planted field (with maize)'
i-
3-
rawa
flower
'(its) flower'
hʉ
I
a-
2-
tʉmi
beat
adʒɛ
you
'I'm going to beat you'
hʉ
I
i-
3-
tɛ
bring
a-
2-
ri
DAT
i-
3-
ũ
give
adʒɛ
you
'I brought it to give to you'
