Tequiraca language

Not to be confused with Aushiri language or Waorani language.
Tequiraca
Aiwa, Aewa
Abishira
Native toPeru
RegionPuerto Elvira
EthnicityAiwa
Extinctmid-20th century
Language codes
ISO 639-3ash
Glottologabis1238
ELPTequiraca

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]

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]

  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. ^ 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.