| Chayahuita | |
| Nativename: | Shawi |
| Also Known As: | Cahuapana |
| States: | Peru |
| Ethnicity: | 21,400 (2011) |
| Speakers: | 14,000 |
| Date: | 2011 |
| Ref: | [1] |
| Familycolor: | American |
| Fam1: | Cahuapanan |
| Iso3: | cbt |
| Glotto: | chay1248 |
| Glottorefname: | Shawi |
Chayahuita is an endangered Amazonian language spoken by thousands of native Chayahuita people in the Amazon basin of north-central Peru. Spoken along the banks of the Paranapura, Cahuapanas, Sillay, and Shanusi rivers, it is also known as Chayawita, Shawi, Chawi, Tshaahui, Chayhuita, Chayabita, Shayabit, Balsapuertino, Paranapura, and Cahuapa. There is a 1–5% literacy rate, compared with 5–15% for Spanish, and a dictionary since 1978. It can not be understood by Jebero speakers although there is some overlap in vocabulary, especially some Quechua terms.
| Close | i | ɨ | u | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | a |
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | ʔ | |
| Fricative | s | ʃ | h | |||
| Rhotic | r | |||||
| Approximant | w | j |
Selected Shawi animal names from Rojas-Berscia (2019):[3]
| Didelphis marsupialis | anashi | ||
| Cuniculus paca | ipi' | ||
| Sciurus spadiceus | pu'shi | ||
| Coendou bicolor | sese | ||
| Rattus norvegicus | shumi | ||
| Dasyprocta punctata | ite' | ||
| Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris | tucusu' | ||
| Saguinus fuscicollis | ishi' | ||
| Sarcoramphus papa | tame | ||
| Metynnis argenteus | shite' | ||
| Prochilodus nigricans | wanki | ||
| Pseudorinelepis genibarbis | warate' | ||
| Hoplias malabaricus | a'nanan | ||
| Pecari tajacu | kiraman | ||
| Panthera onca | ni'ni' | ||
| Tapirus terrestris | pawara | ||
| Pteronura brasiliensis | ini' | ||
| Potos flavus | kuwasha' | ||
| Alouatta seniculus | nu'nu' | ||
| Oreonax flavicauda | sura' | ||
| Saimiri sciureus | isen | ||
| Cacajao calvus | tekerenan | ||
| Aotus miconax | kuwi | ||
| Ateles belzebuth | tu'ya | ||
| Inia geoffrensis | sapana' | ||
| Lachesis muta | na'shi | ||
| Bothrops atrox | tayuwan | ||
| Boa constrictor | kupiwan | ||
| Crax globulosa | i'sa | ||
| bayuca caterpillar | Lonomia obliqua | tiwintata' |