Palikúr (Paʼikwaki)

Palikúr is a Northern Arawakan language spoken mainly in Brazil, and also in French Guiana. In Brazil it is spoken by about 1,290 people in Oiapoque municipality in Amapá state along the Urucauá river. In French Guiana there are about 250 speakers of Palikúr on the central coast and along the Oyapock River.

Palikúr is also known as Aukuyene, Aukwayene, Paikwene, Palicur, Palijur, Palikour, Paliku'ene, Palincur, Paricores, Paricuria, Parikurene or Parinkur-lene.

Palikúr alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

a is pronounced [ɐ̃] before a nasal consonant
b, d, g, k, p and t are unreleased at the ends of words
p is pronounced [v] or [β] before i or u, and between vowels
Before i and ĩ, d = [ʤ], n = [ɲ] and t = [ʧ]
The letters h and r are used for words borrowed from other languages.

Download an alphabet chart for Palikúr (Excel)

Sample text

Ku wown biyuke nikwe ukannuhwan amin madikte ariknebdi inurikyene, (warukma, kamuw, kayg) hawata ukannuhwan umin wis amadgaya inin, (uhiyakemni akak uwakemni) in ka akkaka akisyavriknama akiw ewka awen wownavrik

Translation

If we lose our language, so all our knowledge of the things that are above in the sky (stars, sun and moon) and the people who live on earth (our deeper thoughts and feelings) will no longer be the expression of the proper form if we lose our language.

Source: Kagta Iwitkekne Parikwaki – Parantunka / Dicionário Palikur – Português, E Vocabulário Português – Palikur

Samples of spoken Palikúr

Links

Information about Palikúr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palikúr_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/plu
https://linguistics.berkeley.edu/saphon/en/inv/Palikur.html
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/plu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Arawakan languages

Achagua, Apurinã, Arawak, Asháninka, Ashéninka, Baniwa, Baniwa of Guainía, Baure, Caquinte, Chamicuro, Curripaco, Enawene Nawe, Garifuna, Iñapari, Machiguenga, Nanti, Nomatsiguenga, Palikúr, Paraujuano, Paresi, Pauna, Piapoco, Taíno, Tariana, Terêna, Wapishana, Wayuu, Yanesha', Yine, Yucuna

Page created: 13.07.22. Last modified: 01.06.25

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