Tarairiú language
# Tarairiú language

Tarairiú (a.k.a. Caratiú) is an extinct and very poorly known language of eastern Brazil. The Tarairiu nation was divided into several tribes: the Janduí, Kanindé, Paiaku (Pajacú, Bajacú), Jenipapo, Jenipabuçu, Javó, Kamaçu, Tukuriju, Ariu, and "Xukuru" / Xacó.

It was once spoken between the Assú River and Apodi River in Rio Grande do Norte.

## Extinct varieties

Below is a list of extinct Tarairiú language varieties listed by Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties.

* Xoró - once spoken on the Apodi River, state of Rio Grande do Norte.
* Janduí - once spoken between the Apodi River and Açú River, Rio Grande do Norte.
* Payacu - once spoken in Rio Grande do Norte in the Serra do Coité, Serra de São Bento and Serra Calabouço between the Jaguaribe River and Apodi River.
* Panatí - once spoken in the state of Paraíba in the Serra Panatí and near Villaflor.
* Miñari - once spoken in the valley of the Apodi River, Rio Grande do Norte.
* Panahi - language of the neighbors of the Miñari tribe, Rio Grande do Norte.
* Canindé - once spoken at the sources of the Choró River, state of Ceará.
* Genipapo - Portuguese name of an extinct language on the Choró River.
* Camamu - once spoken on the Acaraú River, Ceará.
* Itañá / Baturité - once spoken in the Serra de Baturité, Ceará.
* Candodú - language of a neighboring tribe of the Jucá, Quixetó and Caratiú.
* Caratiú - once spoken at the sources of the Poti River and in the valley of the Triá River, Ceará.
* Camasú - once spoken in Ceará state at the sources of the Acaratí-guasú River
* Acriú - once spoken on the left bank of the Acaraná River, Ceará.
* Anasé - spoken in Ceará, on the right bank of the Acaraú River.

## Classification

The language is attested only through a few word lists. A few words resemble those of neighboring Kariri (and other Macro-Je) and Xukuru languages, but not enough to support a genealogical connection. Kaufman (1994) reports that "not even Greenberg dares classify this language".

## Vocabulary

Some of the recorded words:

| Gloss | Tarairiú |
| - | - |
| 'water' | teu |
| 'fire' | kiro-kia, intoá |
| 'stone' | kebra |
| 'head' | kreká |
| 'hair' | unj |
| 'ear' | bandulak |
| 'eye' | pigó |
| 'nose' | korõza |
| 'mouth' | moz |
| 'tooth' | cidolé |
| 'hand' | koreké |
| 'foot' | poyá |
| 'man' | xenupre |
| 'woman' | moela, moéça |
| 'son' | ako |
| 'house' | sok |
| 'eat' | kringó |
| 'sleep' | gonyã |

Resemblances with Macro-Jê languages are in kebra 'stone' (Proto-Je *kɛn), kreká 'head' (*krã), koreké 'hand' (*-ĩkra), and poyá 'foot' (*par). Resemblances with Xukuru are kiro- 'fire' (Xukuru kiyo), kringó 'eat' (kringgo 'feed'), sok 'house' (šekh).

Loukotka (1968) gives three words in Tarairiú:

* agh 'sun'
* kén 'stone'
* ake 'tobacco'

For a more extensive vocabulary list of Tarairiú by de Souza (2009), see the corresponding Portuguese article.

## Lexical comparison

An alternative list of Tarairiú words compared with "Jê" dialects and Cariri, compiled by the Paraíba historian José Elias Barbosa Borges, is given in Medeiros (1999):

    Portuguese gloss (original)English gloss (translated)TarairiúJê dialectsCariri águawaterkaiténkodzu cabeçaheadkrekákrãtçambu cabelohairunjsundü casahousesekriikrécrá comereatkringókhremami dormirsleepgon-yánogonuni filhosonakoikrainhurae fogofirekiró, kiakorru, kuwiisu mãohandkorekebkhramüsã mulherwomankrippómprom, pikotidzi nariznosesikrinkhranaembi olhoeyeaçontodo orelhaearbandulakmpakbenhé péfootpoiáparbü
