Language quiz

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?

Comments (4)

ArakunAugust 12th, 2012 at 4:26 pm

Judging from the limited phonology and phonotactics this is a polynesian language. I have no idea which one though. Lots of plosives, [m] and [r], all words ending in vowels and generally no [s] sounds. I believe I can hear are a few [s] and [ʃ] like sounds in the middle of the clip but they could simply be allophones.

d.m.falkAugust 12th, 2012 at 10:47 pm

My guess is Dhivehi (Maldives).

d.m.f.

Vijay JohnAugust 13th, 2012 at 5:22 am

I think it’s another Spanish-influenced language of the Americas. (It kind of reminded me of Guarani again – I hear a lot of “pe” and some nasalized vowels and high central vowels – and I heard “Cristo”). Could this one be from the Amazon? Perhaps a Tukanoan or Arawakan language of some sort?

I also hear something like “piake” a lot.

SimonAugust 14th, 2012 at 4:40 pm

It seems that no one will get this one – the answer is Curipaco, an Arawakan language spoken in Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela.

The recording comes from the GRN.