Jebero language

Not to be confused with Jibaro languages.

Jebero (Chebero, Xebero, Xihuila) is a moribund Amazonian language spoken by the Jebero people of Jeberos, Peru. It is spoken by only a small number of older adults and belongs to the Cahuapanan family together with Chayahuita.

Jebero
Shiwilu
Native to	Peru
Region	Jeberos
Ethnicity	2,500 (2000)
Native speakers	30 (2012)
Language family	Cahuapanan Jebero
Language codes
ISO 639-3	jeb
Glottolog	jebe1250
ELP	Shiwilu

Phonology

Vowels

Monophthongs of Jebero, from Valenzuela & Gussenhoven (2013:101)

Monophthong phonemes

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid		ɘ
Open		a

• /i/ varies between close front unrounded [i], near-close front unrounded [i̞] and close-mid front unrounded [e].
• /u/ varies between near-close near-front rounded [ʊ] and close-mid back weakly rounded [o̜], with the latter realization being the most usual.
• /ɘ/ varies between mid near-front unrounded [ɛ̽] and close-mid central unrounded [ɘ].
  • /ɘ/ is shorter than the other vowels, particularly between voiceless consonants.
  • The sequence /ɘn/ is sometimes realized as a syllabic [n̩].
• /a/ varies between open central unrounded [ä] and near-open retracted front [æ̠]. The vowel chart in Valenzuela & Gussenhoven (2013) puts /a/ in the near-open central position [ɐ].
  • In closed syllables, /a/ is realized as open-mid central unrounded [ɜ].

Consonants

Consonant phonemes

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɲ
Stop		p	t	tʃ	k	ʔ
Fricative			s	ʃ		(h)
Trill	plain		r
	glottalized		ˀr
Approximant	central	w	ð̞	j
	lateral		l	ʎ

• /m, p/ are bilabial, whereas /w/ is labialized velar.
• /tʃ/ is an affricate, rather than a plosive. It has nevertheless been placed in the table in that manner to save space.
• /n, t, ð, l/ are laminal denti-alveolar [n̪, t̪, ð̪, l̪].
  • In the syllable coda, /n/ is realized with a wider contact, maximally dentoalveolo-velar [n̪͡ŋ].
  • After /u, a/, the denti-alveolar contact is often not made, which makes /n/ sound more like a velar nasal [ŋ].
  • /ð/ may sometimes sound as if it were a lateral consonant, but it is never realized as lateral.
• /ɲ, ʎ/ are dentoalveolo-palatal [ɲ̪, ʎ̪].
  • /ʎ/ is sometimes realized as a weak fricative [ʎ̪˔].
• /h/ occurs only in the affirmative interjection [ahã].
• /r/ is realized as a flap [ɾ] in the syllable onset and as a trill [r] in the syllable coda.
• /ˀr/ is a glottalized flap [ˀɾ]. Intervocalically, it is realized as a sequence [ɾʔ].

Bibliography

• Valenzuela, Pilar M.; Gussenhoven, Carlos (2013), "Shiwilu (Jebero)" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 43 (1): 97–106, doi:10.1017/S0025100312000370