Tembé

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A language of Brazil

Alternate Names

Tenetehara, Timbé, Turiwara

User Population

Ethnic population: 1,430 (Crevels 2012).

Pará state: Terra Indígena Alto Turiaçu, banks of Gurupi river.

Language Maps

Eastern Central Brazil

Language Status

7 (Shifting).

Tupian, Tupí-Guaraní, Tenetehara, Tenetehara

None known. Intelligible with Guajajára [gub].

14 consonants and 7 vowels.

The youth in the main village are speaking a mixed language - Portuguese [por] grammar and verbs mixed wth Tembé nouns. Youth in other villages only speak Portuguese. Adults only. Only in the main village. In all other villages there are no L1 speakers. Shifting to Portuguese [por]. Used as L2 by Turiwára [twt].

Language Development

NT: 2008.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Tembé

Latin script [Latn].

Assimilated the closely related Turiwara [twt] (Crevels 2007).