Iquito (Ikíitu kuwasíini)

Iquito is a Zaparoan language spoken in the Loreto region of northern Peru, particularly in the villages of San Antonio and Atalaya on the Chambira, Nanay, and Pintoyacu rivers. In 2006 there were 25 fluent speakers of Iquito, and another 25 people with some knowledge of the language.

Most fluent Iquito speakers are over 55 years old. They speak Iquito and understand Spanish. Younger adults tend to be bilingual in Iquito and Spanish, and children speak Spanish and understand Iquito.

Iquito is also known as Iquita, Iquitu, Ikito, Amacacore, Hamacore, Quiturran, Puca-Uma or Ikitu.

Students at the University of Texas are working with Iquito speakers to revitalize their language as part of the Iquito Language Documentation Project. They are compiling a dictionary and teaching materials for Iquito.

Iquito alphabet and pronunciation

There appear to be several ways to spell Iquito. The one shown above is used in the Diccionario Escolar Ikíitu kuwasíini - tawɨ kuwasíini Iquito - Castelano (PDF) by Christine Beier and Lev Michael.

Download an alphabet chart for Iquito (Excel)

Sample text (The Lord's Prayer)

Pwe sake niyakuxra kyaya cunya nayeunyu. Kya niyakuxigha kanakiyu rikhi aniki. Kya nakare zabane kana-nigwami ryeta namyani : yakukhira imakhira karamigwani. Mesyaka yakweno bwakhina keakaninon seike kanike semannikya nesivite. Kanevite nya kya kanivite. Ikyaki katereke kya kivite, eka kinakare etinyu. Kikamita numa sennui, zeke eke uyapa khinekhi keynanele. Amen

Sample videos in Iquito

Links

Information about Iquito
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iquito_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/iqu
http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/2026
The Iquito Language Documentation Project
The Interaction of Tone and Stress in the Prosodic System of Iquito (Zaparoan)

Zaparoan languages

Andoa, Arabela, Iquito, Záparo

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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