Taruma language


Taruma is a divergent language of northeastern Brazil. It has been reported to be extinct several times since as far back as 1770, but Eithne Carlin discovered the last speakers living among the Wapishana, and is documenting the language. It would seem that "Saluma" is the same language.

Classification

Taruma is unclassified. It has been proposed to be distantly related to Katembri, but this relationship has not been repeated in recent surveys of South American languages.

History

Taruma was spoken around the mouth of the Rio Negro during the late 1600s, but the speakers later moved to southern Guyana. Around the 1920s, Taruma speakers ceased having their own ethnic identity.

Language contact

Jolkesky notes that there are lexical similarities with the Chibchan, Katukina-Katawixi, Arawak, Jeoromitxi, Tupi, Arawa, Jivaro, Karib, Mura-Matanawi, Tukano, Yanomami, and Kwaza language families due to contact.
Similarities with Chibchan may be due to the former presence of Chibchan speakers in the Northeast Amazons. Similarities with Tucanoan suggest that Taruma had originated in the Caquetá basin.

Vocabulary

lists the following basic vocabulary items.
For a list of Taruma words from Jolkesky, see the corresponding :pt:Língua taruma|Portuguese article.