Ocaina language


Ocaina is an indigenous American language spoken in western South America.

Classification

Ocaina belongs to the Witotoan language family. It is its own group within the Huitoto-Ocaina sub-family.

Geographic distribution

Ocaina is spoken by 54 people in northeastern Peru and by 12 more in the Amazonas region of Colombia. Few children speak the language.

Dialects/Varieties

There are two dialects of Ocaina: Dukaiya and Ibo'tsa.

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Tone

Syllables in Ocaina may be marked with one of two tones: high or low.

Syllables

Syllables in Ocaina consist of a vowel; single consonants may appear on either side of the vowel: V.

Writing System

Ocaina is written using a Latin alphabet. A chart of symbols with the sounds they represent is as follows:
LatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPALatinIPA
abcchdsdyefghi
jkllmm̈nn̈ññ̈op
qrsshttstyuvxy