Tarairiú is an extinct language of eastern Brazil. The Tarairiú Nation was divided into several etnies: the Janduí, Kanindé, Payakú (Pajoke, Pajacú, Bajacú), Jenipapo, Jenipapo-Kanindé, Javó, Kamaçu, Takarijú, Ariús, Pêgas, Caratiús, Coremas, Panatís, Paratiós, Piancós, Xukurú among others.
It was once spoken between the Assú River and Apodi River in Rio Grande do Norte.[1]
Classification
The language is attested only through a few word lists. Kaufman (1994) reports that "not even Greenberg dares classify this language".
Vocabulary
Loukotka (1968) gives three words in Tarairiú:[1]
- agh 'sun'
- kén 'stone'
- ake 'tobacco'
References
- 1 2 Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
- de Souza Santos, Juvandi (2009). Cariri e tarairiú? Culturas tapuias nos sertoẽs da Paraíba (PDF) (doctoral thesis). Porto Alegre: Pontificia Universidade Católica Do Rio Grande do Sul.