Makurap language

Makurap (Macurapi) is a Tupian language of Brazil, spoken by the Makurap people of Rondônia. Portuguese is now the primary language of the younger Makurap; older members of Indigenous peoples in the region use Makurap during 'chichada' festivals where chicha is communally consumed.^[2]

Makurap
Macurapi
Native to	Brazil
Region	Rondônia
Ethnicity	130 Makurap (2007)[1]
Native speakers	(45 cited 1992)[1]
Language family	Tupian Tuparí Makurap
Language codes
ISO 639-3	mpu
Glottolog	maku1278
ELP	Makurap

Phonology

Consonants

Makurap consonants^[3]

	Labial	Alveolar	Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar
Occlusive	p	t			k
Affricate			tʃ (dʒ)
Fricative	(β)
Tap/Flap		ɾ
Nasal	m	n		(ɲ)	ŋ
Approximant	w	(l)	(ɻ)	j

Sounds /p, t, k/ are heard as voiced [b, d, ɡ] when before voiced consonants.

Sounds /p, t, tʃ, k/ are heard as unreleased [p̚, t̚, c̚, k̚] when in word-final position.

Nasal sounds /m, n, ŋ/ are heard as prenasalized stops [ᵐb, ⁿd, ᵑɡ] in syllable-initial positions in free variation.

/w/ is also heard as a fricative [β] in free variation.

/ɾ/ is also heard as liquid sounds [ɻ] and [l] in free variation.

/j/ may also be heard as an affricate [dʒ] or prenasal [ⁿdʒ] in word-initial positions, and as [ɲ] when in between nasal vowels.^[3]

Vowels

Makurap vowels^[3]

	Front		Central		Back
	unrounded				rounded
	oral	nasal	oral	nasal	oral	nasal
Close	i	ĩ	ɨ	ɨ̃	u	ũ
Close-mid	e	ẽ		ə̃	o	õ
Open-mid	(ɛ)
Open			a

/e/ may also be heard as [ɛ] in free variation.

A length distinction is lost among younger speakers. For example, the words [tsãn] 'sweet' and [tsã:n] 'cold' are homophones in modern pronunciation.^[2]