Cayuvava is a language isolate of the Bolivian Amazon, spoken west of the Mamore River in Bolivia's Beni department by an ethnic population of roughly 2,200 people. It was formally recognized as one of Bolivia's official indigenous languages under a 2000 government decree, but active use had already fallen sharply by that time, and as of 2005 only three elderly speakers remained. Despite shared vocabulary with neighboring Arawakan, Bororoan, Takanan and Tupian languages, reflecting a long history of contact, no genetic relationship to any of them has been confirmed, and Cayuvava is treated as an isolate.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.