Koropó language

Koropó (Coropó) is an extinct language of eastern Brazil. It has been variously classified as a Maxakalían or a Purian language.

Koropó
Coropó
Native to	Brazil
Region	Minas Gerais
Ethnicity	Koropós [pt]
Era	attested 1820
Language family	Macro-Gê Maxakalían[1] Maxakalí group Koropó
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xxr
Glottolog	coro1248

Puris and Koropos

Classification

Although Silva Neto (2007) had assumed Koropó to be a Purian language,^[2] Nikulin (2020) classifies Koropó as Macro-Jê (Maxakalían branch).^[3]

Geographical distribution

In the 18th century, Koropó speakers lived with Coroado Puri speakers along the Pomba River in Minas Gerais.^[4]

Documentation

Koropó is attested by two word lists collected by German explorers in the early 1800s:^[4]

• Eschwege (2002: 122-127), 127 words collected in 1815
• Schott (1822, pp. 48-51), 55 words collected in 1818^[5]

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants of Koropó^[6]

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive/Affricate	voiceless	p	t	tʃ	k
	voiced	b
Nasal		m	n	ɲ
Sibilant				ʃ
Approximant			ɾ	j

Vowels

Koropó has a 5-vowel system.^[6]

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	e		o
Open		a