| Macushi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Brazil, Guyana, a few in Venezuela. |
| Ethnicity | Macushi |
Native speakers | 18,000 (2006)[1] |
Cariban
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mbc |
| Glottolog | macu1259 |
| ELP | Makushi |
 Macushi is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Macushi is an indigenous language of the Carib family spoken in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela. It is also referred to as Makushi, Makusi, Macuxi, Macusi, Macussi, Teweya or Teueia. It is the most populous of the Cariban languages. According to Instituto Socioambiental, the Macushi population is at an estimated 43,192, with 33,603 in Brazil, 9,500 in Guyana and 89 in Venezuela.[2] In Brazil, the Macushi populations are located around northeastern Roraima, Rio Branco, Contingo, Quino, Pium and Mau rivers. Macuxi speakers in Brazil, however, are only estimated at 15,000.
Crevels (2012:182) lists Macushi as “potentially endangered”,[3] while it is listed on the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger as “vulnerable”.[4] Its language status is at 6b (Threatened). The Macushi communities live in areas of language contact: Portuguese in Brazil, English in Guyana and Wapixana (another indigenous language). Abbott (1991) describes Macushi as having OVS word order, with SOV word order being used to highlight the subject.[5]
- ^ Macushi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ "Macuxi - Indigenous Peoples in Brazil". pib.socioambiental.org. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Crevels, Mily (2012), "Language endangerment in South America: The clock is ticking", The Indigenous Languages of South America, DE GRUYTER, pp. 167–234, doi:10.1515/9783110258035.167, ISBN 9783110258035
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ Abbott, Miriam (1991). "Macushi". In Derbyshire, Desmond C.; Pullum, Geoffrey K. (eds.). Handbook of Amazonian Languages. Vol. 3. Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 23–160.