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Xavante Indian Language (A'uwe, Awen, Shavante)

Language: Xavante is a Ge language of Brazil, spoken by about 10,000 people in the region of Mato Grosso. Unusually among the world's languages, Xavante word order is OSV.

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Names: "Xavante" is their name in the language of a neighboring tribe. In their own language, the people call themselves A'uwe, which means "Indians." However, they also accept the name Xavante now, which has become commonly used as a surname by tribal members. Crixá and Tapacua were the historical names of subgroups or villages of the Xavantes. Alternate spellings of these names include Chavante, Shavante, Xavánte, A'uwẽ, Auwe, A'we, A'wẽ, A'uwe Uptabi, Akwe, Akwen, Aquém, A'wen, Akuên, Acuen, Aquen, Akwẽ, Awen, A'wé, A'we, Au'we, Akuwẽ, Crixa, and Crisca. Since "A'uwe" has the general meaning of "Indians," forms of this word like Akuen and Akuwe are commonly used to refer to indigenous people of the region in general, particularly the Xerente, Xakriaba and Acroa tribes whose languages are related to Xavante and have similar words themselves.

Xavante Language

Xavante language samples and resources.

Xavante Culture and History

Information and links about the Xavante tribe past and present.

Xavante Language Resources

Our Online Xavante Materials

Xavante Words:
Our list of vocabulary words in the Xavante language, with comparison to words in other Macro-Ge languages.

Books for sale on the Xavantes
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links

Dicionario Xavante-Portugues:
Xavante-Portuguese dictionary for sale online.

Mapping Time, Space and the Body: Indigenous Knowledge and Mathematical Thinking in Brazil:
Interesting book about mathematics and sociolinguistics among the Xavante and Kayabi tribes.

Xavante Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Tribes of Southern Brazil:
Map showing where the Xavante language is spoken.

Shavante (A'uwẽ Mreme):
Phonology and writing system of Xavante.

Freelang Xavante Dictionary:
Free downloadable wordlist of the Xavante language.

Xavante Phonology:
Linguistic chart of phonemes in the Xavante language.

Wikipedia: Xavante Language:
Encyclopedia article about Xavante including phonology and grammar.

Lengua Indigena Shavante:
Xavante language information including a linguistic map of Brazil. Page in Spanish.

House of Languages: Akwe-Xavante
Information about Xavante language usage.

Xavante Papers:
Archive of linguistics papers on Xavante, in English and Portuguese.

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

Xavánte Language Structures:
Xavante linguistic profile and academic bibliography.

Literature and Texts in the Xavante Language

The New Testament in Xavante

Language Museum: Xavánte:
Translation of Bible passages into the Xavante language.

Auwe Uptabi Words of Life:
Videos of Bible stories translated into the Auwe Uptabi/Xavante language.

Additional Resources, Links, and References

  Endangered Languages Project: Xavante:
  Bibliography of Xavante language resources.
  OLAC: Xavante:
  Reference list of Xavante language materials.
  Brazil Native People:
  Information and links about indigenous Brazilian culture.
  Lingua da tribo Aquem:

Cultura e Lingua Xavante:

Povos Indigenas: Xavante:

Indios Shavante:
Information about the Xavante language and people in Portuguese.

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