Akurio language

Akurio, also known as Akuriyó, is an endangered Cariban language. It was used by the Akurio people in Suriname until the late 20th century. The group then began using the Trío language. Akuriyo does not have a writing system.

Akuriyó
Akurio
Native to	Suriname
Region	Sipaliwini District
Ethnicity	40 Akurio people (2012)[1]
Extinct	2000s[1] 2 semi-speakers (2012)
Language family	Cariban Guianan Carib Taranoan Tiriyo Akuriyó
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ako
Glottolog	akur1238
ELP	Akuriyo
Akuriyo is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Akuriyó
Coordinates: 3°12′N 55°38′W

Status

The last native speaker is believed to have died in the 2000s. During this period, only 10 people were estimated to have Akuriyó as a second language. By 2012, only two semi-speakers remained.^[1] There may still be speakers in uncontacted groups, while the language has been replaced by closely related Tiriyó among contacted groups.^[2]

Sepi Akuriyó, one of the last surviving speakers of Akuriyó, went missing 2 December 2018, when a small plane carrying 8 people disappeared during a flight over the Amazon rainforest. The search and rescue operation was called off after two weeks.^[3]

Phonology

The following phonology is preliminary and derived from fieldwork with non-native speakers over a short period of time.^[2]

Akurio consonants^[2]

	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive	p	t		k	(ʔ)
Affricate		t̠ʃ
Nasal	m	n
Tap or Flap		ɾ1
Approximant			j	w

1. The flap is slightly retroflex with some lateral release.

Akurio vowels^[2]

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i	ɨ	u
Mid	e	ə	o
Open		a

Vowel length is apparently phonemic.