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Arawak Indian Language (Lokono, Arawaks)
Language: Arawak, also known as Lokono, is an Arawakan
language of South America.
It is an agglutinating language
with SVO word order.
Some indigenous Caribbean tribes who once spoke related Arawakan languages, such as the
Tainos of Haiti and the Bahamas and the
"Island Caribs" of Dominica, are also sometimes referred to as
Arawaks, but their languages were distinct. 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.
Lokono Arawak is spoken by about 2000 people in Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela, and was once spoken
on neighboring Caribbean islands like Barbados as well.
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Names: Arawak is a tribal name from their own language referring to their main crop food, the cassava root
(also known as manioc.) The Arawaks also call themselves Lokono, which means "the people," and sometimes refer
to the Arawak language as Lokono Dian, "the people's speech." Alternate spellings of
these names include Arawák, Arahuaco, Aruak, Arowak, Arawac, Arawack, Arrawak, Araguaco, Aroaqui, Aruaqui, Aruac, Aruaca,
Aroac, Aroaco, Arwuak, Arrowack, Arrouague, Arawaak, Allouague, Aravaco, Arrowukas, Arahuacos;
Locono, Lukkunu, Luccumi, Lukunu, Lokno, and Loko.
Arawak Language
Arawak language samples and resources.
Arawak Tribe Culture and History
Information and links about the Arawak Indians past and present.
Arawak Indians Fact Sheet
Our answers to common questions about the lifestyle of Arawak Indian people.
Arawak Legends
Introduction to the mythology of the Arawaks.
Our Arawak Language Materials
Arawak Dictionary:
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 Dictionaries and Language Books for Sale
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
To Loko Ajianiwa:
English to Arawak dictionary for sale online.
The Arawak Language of Guiana:
Linguistics text on the Lokono Arawak language.
Languages Of The Pre-Columbian Antilles:
Overview of Arawak and other native Caribbean languages, with maps of the areas where they were spoken.
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.
Arawak Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions
Language Map of the Guianas: 
Tribes and Languages of Venezuela:
Maps showing where in South America the Arawak language is spoken.
Arawak (Lokono):
Arawak language information from Indigenous Languages of the Caribbean.
Arawak Alphabet and Pronunciation:
Phonological inventory of the Arawak language.
Arawak Phonology:
Linguistic chart of phonemes in the Arawak language.
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.
Arawak Description Arawak Phonology Arawak Vocabulary Arawak Text
Arawak Swadesh List The Arawack Language of Guiana:
Digitized Arawak language materials from the Rosetta Project.
Lokono Conversation: Silencing of the Tongues: Arawak/Lokono:
Video recordings of interviews with native Lokono speakers.
House of Languages: Arawak
Information about Arawak language usage.
Development of the Lokono Language
Paper about the work being done in Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana to preserve the Lokono language.
Amerindian Languages in Trinidad and Tobago:
The history of indigenous languages in Trinidad and Tobago, including a list of Arawak place names.
Literature and Texts in the Arawak Language
A Lokono Prayer in Trinidad:
Text of an Arawak Indian prayer with English translation.
Tower of Babel in Arawak: Arawak Prayers: Arawak Words of Life:
Bible passages translated into Arawak.
Arawak Linguistics Research
Arawak Language Tree:
Theories about Arawak's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Arawak Language Structures:
Arawak linguistic profile and academic bibliography.
On Consonantal Correspondences in Three Arawakan Languages:
Linguistic comparison of Lokono Arawak, Island Carib, and Guajiro.
Arawak Papers:
Archive of linguistics papers on Arawak, in English and Spanish.
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Links, References, and Additional Information
OLAC: Arawak:
Reference list of Arawak language materials.
Lengua Aruak: Idioma Arawak-Lokono:
Information about the Arawak language in Spanish.
Arawak Language Taino and Arawak:
Arawak links.
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Arawak Language Resources