Arawak Indian Language (Lokono, Arawac)

Arawak, also known as Lokono, is an Arawakan language of South America. It is spoken by about 2500 people in Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela, and was once spoken on neighboring Caribbean islands like Barbados as well. Some indigenous Caribbean tribes who once spoke Arawakan languages, notably the Tainos of Haiti and the Bahamas and the "Island Caribs" of Dominica, are also frequently referred to as Arawaks, but their languages were distinct (and have no relation to the Carib languages.) The Lokono Arawak language is sometimes called "True Arawak" or "Arawak proper" to distinguish it from other languages of the Arawakan language family, like Taino and Kalhipona. It is an agglutinating language with SVO word order.

Arawak Language

Arawak language samples and resources.

Arawak Tribe Culture and History

Information and links about the Arawak Indians past and present.

Arawak Legends

Introduction to the mythology of the Arawaks.

Arawak Language Resources

Our Arawak Language Materials

Arawak Words:
Our list of vocabulary words in the Arawak language, with comparison to words in other Arawakan languages.

Arawak Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Arawak words.

Arawak Animal Words:
Picture glossary of animal words in the Arawak/Lokono language.

Arawak Colors:
Worksheet showing color words in the Arawak language.

Arawak Numbers:
Worksheet showing how to count in the Arawak language.

Arawak Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Arawak (Lokono):
Arawak language information from Indigenous Languages of the Caribbean.

The Origin and Survival of the Arawak Language:
Article on the resettlement of Arawakan peoples, creolization of the Arawak language, and Arawak contributions to Caribbean Spanish dialects.

A Lokono Prayer in Trinidad:
Text of an Arawak Indian prayer with English translation.

Arawak Description

Arawak Phonology

Arawak Vocabulary

Arawak Text

The Arawack Language of Guiana:
Scanned-in Arawak language materials from the Rosetta Project.

Arawak Prayers:
Arawak translation of the Lord's Prayer.

House of Languages: Arawak
Information about Arawak language usage.

Arawak Language:
Demographic information about Arawak from the Ethnologue of Languages.

Arawak Language Tree:
Theories about Arawak's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.

Arawak Language Structures:
Arawak linguistic profile and academic bibliography.

Arawak Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources

Languages Of The Pre-Columbian Antilles:
Overview of Arowak and other native Caribbean languages, with maps of the areas where they were spoken.

To Loko Ajianiwa:
English to Arawak dictionary.

On Consonantal Correspondences in Three Arawakan Languages:
Linguistic comparison of Lokono Arawak, Island Carib, and Guajiro for sale online.

Comparative Arawakan Histories: Rethinking Language Family and Culture Area in Amazonia:
Historical linguistics study on the relationships between the Arawakan languages.

Native American Language Dictionaries:
Arawak and other American Indian dictionaries and language materials for sale.

Links, References, and Additional Information

Lengua Aruak:

Idioma Arawak-Lokono:
Information about the Arawak language in Spanish.
Arawak Language

Taino and Arawak:
Arawak links.

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