Ninam language
Yanomaman language spoken in Brazil and Venezuela
title: "Ninam language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["yanomaman-languages", "languages-of-brazil", "languages-of-venezuela", "subject–object–verb-languages"] description: "Yanomaman language spoken in Brazil and Venezuela" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninam_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Yanomaman language spoken in Brazil and Venezuela ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Yanam |
| nativename | Ninam |
| states | Brazil, Venezuela |
| speakers | 470 in Brazil |
| date | 2012 |
| ref | e25 |
| speakers2 | 560 in Venezuela (2010) (excluding Yaroamë) |
| familycolor | American |
| fam1 | Yanomam |
| iso3 | shb |
| glotto | nina1238 |
| glottorefname | Ninam |
| map | Yanomaman.svg |
| mapcaption | Yanomaman languages location |
| :: |
|name=Yanam |nativename=Ninam |states= Brazil, Venezuela |speakers=470 in Brazil |date=2012 |ref=e25 |speakers2=560 in Venezuela (2010) (excluding Yaroamë) |familycolor=American |fam1=Yanomam |iso3=shb |glotto=nina1238 |glottorefname=Ninam |map = Yanomaman.svg |mapcaption = Yanomaman languages location
Yanam, or Ninam, is a Yanomaman language spoken in Roraima, Brazil (800 speakers) and southern Venezuela near the Mucajai, upper Uraricaá, and Paragua rivers.
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:
- Yanam ( Northern Yanam/Ninam (Xiliana, Shiriana, Uraricaa-Paragua))
- Ninam ( Southern Yanam/Ninam (Xilixana, Shirishana, Mukajai))
- Jawarib
The name Jawari is shared with Ỹaroamë.
There are three dialects spoken in Roraima, Brazil according to Ferreira, et al. (2019):
- 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.
Mason (1950)
Dialects listed by Mason (1950):
- Waharibo (Guaharibo)
- Shirianá
- Waicá (Guaica, Vaica)
- Shirianá
- Carimé (Karimé)
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/.
::data[format=table title="Vowels"]
| Front | Central | Back | Close | Mid | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
::data[format=table title="Consonants"]
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | plain | aspirated | Stop | Affricate | Fricative | Nasal | Approximant | Flap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :: |
References
- Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. .
- Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
- Migliazza, Ernest; & Grimes, J. E. (1961). Shiriana phonology. Anthropological Linguistics. (June).
References
- Ferreira, Helder Perri; Machado, Ana Maria Antunes; Senra, Estevão Benfica. 2019. ''[https://acervo.socioambiental.org/acervo/publicacoes-isa/linguas-yanomami-no-brasil-diversidade-e-vitalidade As línguas Yanomami no Brasil: diversidade e vitalidade]''. São Paulo: Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN). 216pp. {{ISBN. 978-85-8226-076-0
- Rosés Labrada, Jorge Emilio, Thiago Chacon & Francia Medina. 2020. [http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/193 Arutani (Venezuela and Brazil) – Language Snapshot]. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) ''Language Documentation and Description'' 17, 170-177. London: EL Publishing.
- Jorge Emilio Rosés Labrada & Francia Medina (2019). [http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/172 Sapé (Venezuela) — Language Snapshot]. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) ''Language Documentation and Description'', vol 16. London: EL Publishing. pp. 169-175.
- Mason, John Alden. (1950). "Handbook of South American Indians". [[Smithsonian Institution]], [[Bureau of American Ethnology]] Bulletin 143.
- "SAPhon – South American Phonological Inventories".
- Migliazza, Ernest. (1961). "Shiriana Phonology". Anthropological Linguistics.
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