Ninam language

Not to be confused with Shiriana language. For the village, see Ninam, Satara district.

Yanam, or Ninam, is a Yanomaman language spoken in Roraima, Brazil (800 speakers) and southern Venezuela near the Mucajai, upper Uraricaá, and Paragua rivers.

Yanam
Ninam
Native to	Brazil, Venezuela
Native speakers	470 in Brazil (2012)[1] 560 in Venezuela (2010) (excluding Yaroamë)[1]
Language family	Yanomam Yanam
Language codes
ISO 639-3	shb
Glottolog	nina1238
ELP	Ninam
Yanomaman languages location   Yanomamö   Ninam   Yanomám   Sanumá   Ỹaroamë

Synonymy

Yanam is also known by the following names: Ninam, Yanam–Ninam, Xirianá, Shiriana Casapare, Kasrapai, Jawaperi, Crichana, Jawari, Shiriana, Eastern Yanomaman.

Regional variation

Gordon (2009) reports 2 main varieties (Northern, Southern). Kaufman (1994) reports 3:

1. Yanam (a.k.a. Northern Yanam/Ninam (Xiliana, Shiriana, Uraricaa-Paragua))
2. Ninam (a.k.a. Southern Yanam/Ninam (Xilixana, Shirishana, Mukajai))
3. Jawarib

The name Jawari is shared with Ỹaroamë.

There are three dialects spoken in Roraima, Brazil according to Ferreira, et al. (2019):^[2]

• Northern (Xiriana): Ericó and Saúba
• Southern: Mucajaí
• Central: Uraricoera

The remaining speakers of Arutani and Sapé also speak Ninam (Shirián), since they now mostly live in Ninam villages.^[3][4]

Phonology

Yanam has seven base vowels. Yanam has both vowel length and nasalization, and both features can occur simultaneously, for all vowels except for /ɨ/.^[5]

Vowels

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

Consonants

	Bilabial	Alveolar		Palatal	Velar	Glottal
		plain	aspirated
Stop	p	t	tʰ		k
Affricate				t͡ʃ
Fricative		s		ʃ		h
Nasal	m	n
Approximant				j
Flap		ɾ