Ninam language

Not to be confused with Shiriana language.

Yanam
Ninam
Native to	Brazil, Venezuela
Native speakers	(470 in Brazil cited 1976) 100 in Venezuela (no date)
Language family	Yanomam Yanam
Language codes
ISO 639-3	shb
location of Roraima, Brazil

Yanam, or Ninam, is a Yanomaman language spoken by approximately 560 speakers in Roraima, Brazil (460 speakers) and southern Venezuela near the Mucajai, upper Uraricáa, and Paragua rivers.

Synonymy

Yanam is also known by the following names: Ninam, Yanam–Ninam, Xirianá, Shiriana Casapare, Kasrapai, Jawaperi, Crichana, Jawari, Shiriana, Eastern Yanomaman.

Regional variation

Gordon (2009) reports 2 main varieties (Northern, Southern). Kaufman (1994) reports 3:

1. Yanam (AKA Northern Yanam/Ninam (Xiliana, Shiriana, Uraricaa-Paragua))
2. Ninam (AKA Southern Yanam/Ninam (Xilixana, Shirishana, Mukajai))
3. Jawarib

References

• Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
• Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (Ed.). (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (15th ed.). Dallas, TX: SIL International. ISBN 1-55671-159-X. (Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com).
• Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
• Migliazza, Ernest; & Grimes, J. E. (1961). Shiriana phonology. Anthropological Linguistics. (June).