Minica Huitoto
Mɨnɨka
Native toColombia, Perú
Native speakers
1,500 (2008)[1]
Bora–Witoto
Language codes
ISO 639-3hto
Glottologmini1256
ELPMinica Huitoto

Minica (Mɨnɨka) Huitoto is one of three indigenous American Huitoto languages of the Witotoan family spoken by a few thousand speakers in western South America.[1]

It is spoken in the Upper Igara-Paraná river area, along the Caquetá River at the Isla de los Monos, and the Caguán River near San Vicente del Caguán. There is 75% literacy in Colombia and 85% are literate in Spanish; most are bilingual. There is a dictionary and grammar rules.[1]

There are only five speakers in Perú, where it has official standing within its community.[1]

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i ɯ u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Consonants

Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Stop voiceless p t tʃ k ʔ
voiced b d dʒ ɡ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Fricative voiceless ɸ θ x
voiced β
Tap ɾ

Writing system

Minica Huitoto alphabet[3]
a b c ch d e f g h i j ll m n ñ ng o p q r t u v ɨ z

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Minica Huitoto at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Ávila, Youlín (2018). Las vocales en sílabas CV orales acentuadas del mɨnɨka hablado en Bogotá: una descripción fonética acústica. Bogotá, Colombia: Instituto Caro y Cuervo. pp. 16–17.
  3. ^ "Vocabulario bilingüe: huitoto-español, español-huitoto (dialecto mɨnɨca)". SIL International. 24 January 2013.


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