Akawaio (Ka'pon)

Akawaio is a Cariban language spoken mainly in northern Guyana, and also in northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela, by about 6,380 people. In Guyana Akawaio is spoken by about 4,500 people on the Mazaruni river in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region. There are about 1,700 speakers of Akawaio in the Brazilian state of Roraima, and another 180 in the Bolívar state in Venezuela.

In some sources Akawaio is classified as a dialect of Kapóng, along with Patamona. In other sources they are listed as separate languages.

Akwaio is also known as Acahuayo, Acewaio, Akawai, Akawayo, Ingariko or Kapóng. It is closely related to Patamona, Pemon and Macushi.

A dictionary of Akawaio was published by the missionaries Ray and Dee Stegeman in 2014 after 14 years of working with the Akawaio people. They devised a practical alphabet for Akawaio, and also primers, other books and a translation of the New Testament. There are several other ways to write Akawaio.

Akawaio alphabet and pronunciation

Sample text

Ta'pʉ iya to' pɨ', “Ɨwɨpʉrema kon a'tai, se kasa mʉkatʉi': “‘Papai, tʉnamasen pe ɨyese' nesii. Ina esa' pe ɨwe'to' nʉyepʉi.
Wʉi kaisa rɨ ina irepakɨ wʉi kaisa rɨ te'sen ina i'kiyari ke.
Ina makooi pɨ' ɨsentu'makɨ, apʉne pʉra ina nɨrɨ usentu'ma pɨ' ina pɨ' imakoitasa' kon pɨ'. Mɨrɨ awonsi'kɨ ina kʉsarɨi i'tupɨ'nɨto' ya'.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/308/LUK.11.AKE

Translation

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos in Akawaio

Links

Information about Akawaio and Kapóng
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapóng_language
http://www.native-languages.org/akawaio.htm
https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_ake_phon-1
https://www.webonary.org/akawaio/
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/ake

Cariban languages

Akawaio, Akurio, Bakairi, Carib, Carijona, Hixkaryána, Ikpeng, Kapóng, Japreria, Macushi, Panare, Pemon, Tiriyó, Wayana, Ye’kuana, Yukpa

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 09.10.24

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