Kawishana (Cawishana, Kayuwishana) is an
Arawakan language
Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient Indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...
, nearly extinct, of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. A few speakers were reported in the 1950s, and today, as of 2012, only one person can speak it.
Classification
Aikhenvald (1999) classifies it as a Middle Rio Negro, North Amazonian language, along with
Shiriana and
Manao.
Kaufman (1994) had placed it in a branch of Western Nawiki Upper Amazonian along with two long-extinct languages,
Jumana (Yumana) and
Pasé, which Aikhenvald leaves unclassified. It had an
active–stative syntax.
Ruhlen (1987) classified it as a Rio Negro language, along with Yumana, Pasé and Manao.
References
Languages of Brazil
Arawakan languages
Extinct languages of South America
{{Arawakan-lang-stub