Chaima
Facts
- Language: Chaima
- Alternate names: Chaima: Chayma, Guaga-Tagare, Sayma, Warapiche, Kumaná, Cumaná, Cumanagoto
- Language code: ciy, cuo
- Language family:
Cariban; Venezuelan
(SIL classification)
- Number of speakers:
- Vulnerability: Dormant
- Script:
More information:
Some sources treat Cumanagoto [cuo], Chaima [ciy], and Cumaná (Kumaná) as separate languages. Gildea (2012: 445) gives Kumaná as extinct, with Chaima and Cumanagota as extinct varieties of Kumaná. Crevels (2012:220) distinguishes Chaima and Kumanagoto. Ethnologue (Lewis et al. 2016) also has Chaima [ciy] distinct from Cumanagoto [cuo], both members of a "Cumaná" branch.Crevels (2012) also distinguishes Piritugoto, with 50 speakers, saying "further research is necessary to establish the degree to which it is still spoken and its exact classification within the Cariban family." However, no linguistic data has been published on it (la lengua de los indios de Piritu) since the 17th century, and the current Chaima area coincides with that reported for the Piritu(goto). This suggests this is just an alternative name or a now extinct dialect.