Yukpa language

Yukpa
Native to Venezuela, Colombia
Ethnicity Yukpa people
Native speakers
 6,000  (2007–2009)[1]
Cariban

  • (unclassified)

    • Yupka languages
      • Yukpa
Language codes
ISO 639-3 yup
Glottolog yukp1241[2]

Yukpa (Yuco, Yucpa, Yuko, Yupa) is a Cariban language, spoken by 7,000–8,000 people in Zulia State in Venezuela and across the border in Colombia. It's also known as Carib Motilón, Macoíta, Northern Motilón, Manso.

Río Casacará (Iroka) and Río Maracas are the main dialects, and different enough to maybe be considered separate languages. Also Caño Padilla–La Laguna. The Venezuelan dialects, Yrapa and Río Negro, are closer to Río Maracas than to Río Casacará. Per Ruhlen, Coyaima is also a dialect; it is sometimes assumed to be a separate language.

Similarity to Japrería, the other Yupka language, is slight.

References

  1. ↑ Yukpa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Yukpa". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.