Xukuru (Xucuru, Shukurú, Ichikile) was a poorly attested language of Brazil. It is also known as ''Kirirí, Kirirí-Xokó, Ichikile''. It is known only from a few word lists and a sketch by
Geraldo Lapenda (1962).
[Lapenda, Geraldo Calábria. 1962]
O dialecto Xucuru
''Doxa'' (Revista Oficial do Departamento de Cultura do Diretório Acadêmico da Faculdade de Filosofia de Pernambuco da Universidade do Recife), ano X, n. 10, p. 11-23.
It was originally spoken in the Serra de São José and on the
Meio River,
Capibaribe River
The Capibaribe River () is a river located in Pernambuco state, Brazil, with a length of 240 kilometers. The Capibaribe originates in the Serra do Jacarará, in the municipality of Poção, and flows to the Atlantic Ocean at Recife.
Etymology
...
and
Taperoa River in the states of
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
and
Paraíba. Loukotka (1968) reports the most recent locations as the
Serra Ararobá and
Cimbres
Pesqueira (formerly known as Cimbres) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. It had an estimated population in 2020 according to the IBGE, of 67,735. Its area is 980.876 km².
History
The municipality was created in 1762 u ...
.
Classification
Loukotka (1968) considers Xukuru to form a
small family with
Paratió.
Other languages with this name
''Xukuru-Kariri'' is a variety of
Xokó, which may be a
Kariri language. The name ''Kiriri'' is shared by
Dzubukuá, another Kariri language, and by
Katembri. The name ''Kiriri-Xoko'' is shared with yet another variety of Xokó.
Distribution
Geraldo Lapenda (1962) reported that the Xukuru people can be found primarily in the settlements of Canabrava and
Brejinho in the ''aldeia'' of
Cimbres
Pesqueira (formerly known as Cimbres) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. It had an estimated population in 2020 according to the IBGE, of 67,735. Its area is 980.876 km².
History
The municipality was created in 1762 u ...
,
Pesqueira municipality. They can also be found in the settlements of
Cajueiro, Ipanema Velho, Caldeirão, Jitó, Lagoa, Machado, Sitio do Meio, Riacho dos Afetos, Trincheiras, Bem-te-vi, Santana, and São José. Although the Xukuru traditionally occupied the
Serra do Ororobá, they could also be found in other municipalities of
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
, namely
Caruaru,
Brejo da Madre de Deus,
Belo Jardim,
Sanharó,
Poção,
Pesqueira, and
Arcoverde.
Phonology
Consonants
Xukuru consonants:
Vowels
Xukuru vowels:
Xukuru also has nasalized vowels. Lapenda (1962) transcribes nasalized vowels as ''Vn'' (orthographic vowel followed by ''n'').
Morphology
Common suffixes in Xukuru include -''go'', which forms verbs, adjectives, and nouns, and -''men'', of uncertain meaning.
Vocabulary
Pompeu (1958)
Xucurú vocabulary from Pompeu (1958),
[Pompeu Sobrinho, Thomaz. 1958. ''Línguas Tapuias desconhecidas do Nordeste: Alguns vocabulários inéditos''. Boletim de Antropologia (Fortaleza-Ceará) 2. 3-19.] cited from
Kurt Nimuendajú:
[Nimuendajú, Kurt. “Revista do Instituto Arqueológico, Histórico e Geográfico Pernambucano”. ns. 155, 158.][Pompeu Sobrinho, Thomaz. 1958. ''Línguas Tapuias desconhecidas do Nordeste: Alguns vocabulários inéditos''. Boletim de Antropologia (Fortaleza-Ceará) 2. 3-19.]
:
Meader (1978)
Xukuru is also known from a word list elicited in 1961 by Paul Wagner from Antônio Caetano do Nascimento, the chief of Brazinho village in the
Serra Urubu of
Pesqueira, Pernambuco
Pesqueira (formerly known as Cimbres) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. It had an estimated population in 2020 according to the IBGE, of 67,735. Its area is 980.876 km².
History
The municipality was created in 1762 u ...
State. The list is reproduced below, with English translations also given.
Lapenda (1962)
The following Xucuru words are from
Geraldo Lapenda (1962). The data was collected by Raimundo Dantas Carneiro and Cícero Cavalcanti. (Xukuru also has nasalized vowels. Lapenda (1962) transcribes nasalized vowels as ''Vn'' (orthographic vowel followed by ''n'').)
Loukotka (1949)
The following Shukurú words are from Loukotka (1949). The data is from a 137-word manuscript list collected by
Curt Nimuendajú
Curt Unckel Nimuendajú (born Curt Unckel; 18 April 1883 – 10 December 1945) was a German- Brazilian ethnologist, anthropologist, and writer. His works are fundamental for the understanding of the religion and cosmology of some native Brazilia ...
in 1934 from 4 elderly semi-speakers in
Pernambuco
Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...
. The list was obtained by Loukotka in 1940.
:
Sentences
The following Xucuru sentences are from Lapenda (1962).
References
*Lapenda, Geraldo Calábria. 1962
O dialecto Xucuru ''Doxa'' (Revista Oficial do Departamento de Cultura do Diretório Acadêmico da Faculdade de Filosofia de Pernambuco da Universidade do Recife), ano X, n. 10, p. 11-23
Biblioteca Digital Curt Nimuendaju
External links
{{South American languages
Language isolates of South America
Extinct languages of South America
Xukuruan languages
Indigenous languages of Northeastern Brazil