Baré (Barawana) is a nearly extinct Arawakan language of Venezuela and Brazil. It is spoken by two of the Baré people, as of 2012. Aikhenvald (1999) reports "just a few old speakers left" of Baré. Kaufman (1994) considers Baré proper, Guinau, and Marawá (now extinct) to be distinct languages; Aikhenvald, dialects of a single language. (Marawá is not the same language as Marawán.) According to a Baré speaker, the Mandawaca language was mutually intelligible with Baré. Two principal subdivisions are recognized, Ihini 'the ones from there' and Arihini 'the ones from here'.

Baré is a generic name for a number of Arawakan languages in the area, including Mandahuaca, Guarequena, Baniwa, and Piapoco. Barawana is the language given this name in Kaufman, Aikhenvald, and Ethnologue. It is also known as Ibini (a typo for Ihini ~ Arihini?) and Mitua.

Phonology

Vowels

Vowels can come in three forms; oral, nasal, and voiceless:

FrontCentralBack
Closeoraliu
nasalĩũ
voicelessi̥u̥
Midorale
nasalẽ
voicelesse̥
Openorala
nasalã
voicelessḁ
  • Vowel sounds /aãḁ/, /e ẽ e̥/, and /u ũ u̥/ are heard as [ɵ ɵ̃ ɵ̥], [ɛ ɛ̃ ɛ̥], and [o õ o̥] when in unstressed position.
  • /a/ is heard as a back sound [ɑ] when after /w/.

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosive/ Affricatevoicelessptt͡ʃk
aspiratedpʰtʰt͡ʃʰkʰ
voicedbd(g)
Fricativesh
Flapɾ
Sonorantvoicelessm̥n̥j̊w̥
voicedmnjw
  • Sounds /t, n/ are realized as dentalized and palatal [t̪] [ɲ] before and after /i/.
  • /d/ is realized as an affricate [d͡ʒ] before front vowels.
  • /ɾ/ can tend to fluctuate to a velarized [ɫ] in free variation.
  • Voiceless sonorants are treated as aspirated in Aikhenvald (1995), which does not recgonize /j̊/.
  • Aikhenvald (1995) also reports /g/, only found in loanwords.