Mapoyo-Yabarana language
# Mapoyo-Yabarana language

Mapoyo, or Mapoyo–Yavarana, is a Carib language spoken along the Suapure and Parguaza Rivers, Venezuela. The ethnic population of Mapoyo proper is about 365. Yabarana dialect is perhaps extinct; 20 speakers were known in 1977. An additional dialect, Pémono, was discovered in 1998. It was spoken by an 80-year-old woman and has since gone extinct.

## Phonology

### Consonants

| | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stop | p | t | | k | ʔ |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | | |
| Fricative | β | s | | | h |
| Rhotic | | ɾ | | | |
| Approximant | w | | j | | |

* /h/ can be heard as a palatal [ç] when preceding a voiceless plosive.
* /n/ can be heard as a velar [ŋ] when preceding a velar /k/.
* /β/ can be heard as a voiced stop [b], when after a voiceless plosive or glottal /ʔ/.
* /s/ can be heard with an allophone of [ts] when word-initially, or after a glottal /ʔ/.
* /j/ can be heard as a voiced fricative [ʝ], when before a back vowel.

### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| - | - | - | - |
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | ɘ | o |
| Low | | a | |

* Sounds /i, u/ are reduced to [ɪ, ʊ] in syllable-final position.
* /ɘ/ is heard as a lower [ə] sound when preceding /h/, or following /β/.
* /a/ is heard as [ɑ] when occurring after an initial bilabial sound.
