Guató language


Guató is a possible language isolate spoken by 1% of the Guató people of Brazil.

Classification

Kaufman provisionally classified Guató as a branch of the Macro-Jê languages, but no evidence for this was found by Eduardo Ribeiro. Martins also suggests a relationship with Macro-Jê.

Language contact

Jolkesky notes that there are lexical similarities with the Bororo, Tupi, and Karib language families due to contact.

Distribution

In Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, Guató is spoken on the banks of the Paraguay River and up the São Lourenço River, along the Bolivian border. It is also spoken at Uberaba Lake in Santa Cruz Department.

Phonology

The Guató vowel system, like that of Macro-Jê languages, collapses a three-way distinction of height in oral vowels to two in nasal vowels.

Vocabulary

lists the following basic vocabulary items for Guató.
For more extensive vocabulary lists of Guató by Palácio and Postigo, see the corresponding :pt:Língua guató|Portuguese article.