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Ocaina language
Ocaina is an indigenous American language spoken in western South America.
Classification
Ocaina belongs to the Witotoan language family. It is its own group within the Huitoto-Ocaina sub-family.
Geographic distribution
Ocaina is spoken by 54 people in northeastern Peru and by 12 more in the Amazonas region of Colombia. Few children speak the language.
Dialects/Varieties
There are two dialects of Ocaina: Dukaiya and Ibo'tsa.
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
Tone
Syllables in Ocaina may be marked with one of two tones: high or low.
Syllables
Syllables in Ocaina consist of a vowel; single consonants may appear on either side of the vowel: (C)V(C).
Writing System
Ocaina is written using a modified version of the Latin alphabet. A chart of symbols with the sounds they represent as is follows:
Because the Ocaina alphabet is based on Spanish, c is used to indicate before a, o, and u, qu is used before e and i, and k is used in loan words, such as kerosene kerosene.
Nasalization is indicated by inserting n after a vowel. Compare: tya tyoja hang it vs. tya tyonjan clean it.
High tone is indicated with the acute accent: a, e, i, o, u.
External links
Entry for Ocaina at Rosetta Project
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ocaina language
