Guarayu () is a
Tupian language of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
that is spoken by the
Guarayo people who number 23,910 in 2012.
The name ''Guarayu (Gwarayú)'' is a variant of ''
Guarayo'', which when used in a pejorative sense refers to several indigenous peoples in the area with the meaning of 'savage' or 'uncultured'. The origin of the names is ''Guara'' meaning "warrior", and ''yu'' "pale" (yellow or white). Compared to other Guarani peoples, the Gwarayú are lighter in colour, and bear a striking resemblance to another Guarani group found in Paraguay, the
Ache.
There were some 30 speakers of Guarayu in Paraguay as of 2012.
Phonology
* are heard as allophones of when in nasal vowel position.
References
Further reading
*Anónimo (2005). ''Gwarayu Ñe’ë, diccionario guarayo - castellano - guarayo''. Cochabamba: Sociedad Bíblica Boliviana.
*Hoeller, Alfredo (1932). ''Guarayo-Deutsches Wörterbuch''. Guarayos: Verlag der Missionsprokura der P.P. Franziskaner, Hall in Tirol.
External links
*
Tupi–Guarani languages
{{tupian-lang-stub
Languages of Bolivia
Tupian languages
Mamoré–Guaporé linguistic area