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.
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:
Illustrated 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 Language:
Demographic information about Arawak from the Ethnologue of Languages.
Arawak Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources
American Indian culture
Arawak Words:
Taino and Arawak:
