Knowra Arawakan languages Arawakan languages Arawakan is a large language family whose languages are spoken across much of South America and parts of the Caribbean. Its members include Lokono, Wayuu, and Asháninka.
Maipurean languages : A major branch of Arawakan languages, spoken across parts of South America. Many languages commonly classified as Arawakan belong to this branch.
Proto-Arawakan language : The reconstructed common ancestor of the Arawakan languages. Comparative linguistics uses this ancestor to infer the family's earlier vocabulary and structure.
Wayuu people : An Indigenous people of the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia and Venezuela, many of whom speak Wayuu. Their language is one of the largest and most widely spoken Arawakan languages.
Arawak language documentation : The recording, description, and archiving of Arawakan languages and their use. Documentation provides evidence for grammar, history, and community-led language work.
Lokono : An Arawakan language spoken by Indigenous communities in Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guiana. Lokono is a well-documented northern member of the family.
Comparative method : A linguistic technique that reconstructs ancestral languages by comparing systematic similarities among related languages. It underpins reconstructions of Proto-Arawakan and the family's internal relationships.
Asháninka people : An Indigenous people of the western Amazon, principally in Peru and Brazil, with communities speaking Asháninka. Their language and community history anchor a prominent southwestern branch of Arawakan.
Arawak language revitalization : Community and institutional efforts to sustain or increase the use of Arawakan languages. Many Arawakan-speaking communities use revitalization to support intergenerational transmission.
Wayuu language : An Arawakan language spoken by the Wayuu people of the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia and Venezuela. Wayuu is a major living language of the family's northern range.
Arawakan language dispersal : The spread of Arawakan languages across parts of South America and the Caribbean over time. The family's wide distribution raises questions about routes, dates, and social causes of expansion.
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