Timbira is a
dialect continuum of the
Northern Jê language group of the
Jê languages ̣(
Macro-Jê) spoken in
Brazil. The various dialects are distinct enough to sometimes be considered separate languages. The principal varieties, Krahô/ˈkrɑːhoʊ/[2] (Craó), and Canela/kæˈnɛlə/[2] (Kanela), have 2000 speakers apiece, few of whom speak Portuguese.
Pará Gavião has 600–700 speakers.
Krẽje, however, is nearly extinct, with only 30 speakers in 1995.
Timibira has been intensive contact with various
Tupi-Guarani languages of the lower
Tocantins-
Mearim area, such as Guajajára, Tembé, Guajá, and Urubú-Ka'apór. Ararandewára, Turiwára, Tupinamba, and Nheengatu have also been spoken in the area. Some of people in the area are also remembers of Anambé and Amanajé.[3]
Ramirez et al. (2015) considers Timbira-Kayapó to be a
dialect continuum, as follows:[6]
Canela-Krahô ↔ Gavião-Krĩkati ↔ Apinajé ↔ Kayapó ↔ Suyá-Tapayuna ↔ Panará-Kayapó do Sul
Apart from Kapiekran, all Krao varieties are recognized by the ISO. Under the Timbira group, Loukotka included several purported languages for which nothing is recorded: Kukoekamekran, Karákatajé, Kenpokatajé, Kanakatayé, Norokwajé (Ñurukwayé). The Poncatagê (Põkateye) are likewise unidentifiable.
Another common convention for division, though geographic rather than linguistic, is Western Timbira (Apinayé alone) vs Eastern Timbira (Canela, Krikatí, Krahô, Gavião, and others).
Gurupy is a river, sometimes used to refer to the
Krenye.
Nikulin (2020)
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^
abLaurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student’s Handbook, Edinburgh
^Cabral, Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara; Beatriz Carreta Corrêa da Silva; Maria Risolta Silva Julião; Marina Maria Silva Magalhães. 2007. Linguistic diffusion in the Tocantins-Mearim area. In: Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral; Aryon Dall’Igna Rodrigues (ed.), Línguas e culturas Tupi, p. 357–374. Campinas: Curt Nimuendaju; Brasília: LALI.