Uamué language

Uamué
Uamué
Aticum, Umã
Native to	Brazil
Region	Floresta, Pernambuco
Ethnicity	Atikum people
Extinct	after 1961
Language family	unclassified (Kariri?)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	uam
Glottolog	uamu1236
	Map of Atikum territory in Carnaubeira da Penha, eastern Brazil

Uamué (Wamoe), a.k.a. Huamoé, Uman, or Atikum, is an extinct language of Brazil that is too poorly attested to classify. The Pankararú language is spoken just to the south. It is also spelled Huamuê, Huamoi, Uame, Wamoé. Alternate names are Umã and Aticum (Atikum, Araticum). There has been speculation that Huamoé was a Kariri language. Today, the Atikum only preserve some of their language in the context of nature and have entirely switched to Portuguese.^[1]^[2]

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968)

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Umán.^[3]

gloss	Umán
man	porkia
sun	karí
moon	t'upañé
tobacco	kuprioː

Pompeu (1958)

Language variety spoken by the Indians of the Serra Negra in Pernambuco, recorded in Brejo dos Padres:^[4]

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	"Serra Negra"
sol	sun	kari
lua	moon	tyupanyé
trovão	thunder	traikozã
homem	man	porkiá
mulher	woman	sikiurú
macaco	monkey	arinã
cachorro	dog	sará
tatu-peba	six-banded armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus)	tukuaranã
tatu-bola	Brazilian three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus)	kwaráu
tatu verdadeiro	nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)	arikyó
tamanduá colete	southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)	muze káu káukrí
porco	pig	aleal
veado	deer	kwãú
gado vacum	cattle	kõnã
cavalo	horse	tyaparú
ema	rhea	lashikrá
tabaco, fumo	tobacco, smoke	kupriô
bom	good	niré
rancho	ranch	poró
branco	white	karikyá
negro	black	tapsishunã
mosca	fly	moka
vaca	cow	tyanã
bezerro	calf	tyapatã
Deus	God	panyé

Meader (1978)

In 1961, three Aticum word lists were recorded by Menno Kroeker from three informants in Pernambuco State, and are published in Meader (1978). The lists are reproduced below, with English translations also given. However, the wordlists are inconsistent between informants and contain a number of modified Portuguese words. Kroeker thus speculated that the informants intentionally gave him incorrect forms.^[5]^[6]

Word list recorded from Antônio Masio de Souza, a farmer from Carnaúba, Pernambuco:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Aticum
fogo	fire	àtòˈé
pequena lagoa	small pond	kàtìšὶdὶnὶ
mãe	mother	sih / æ̀ntὶsὶdὶnˈómà
pai	father	æ̀ntὶsὶdὶnˈómù
banana	banana	pàkˈóà
batata	potato	zítírə̃̀nˈí
cavalo	horse	kə̃̀naùrùˈí
deus	God	tùpˈə̃̀
ladrão	thief	lˈáklì də̃̀nkùrˈí
negro do cabelo duro	hard black hair	màkˈétò pìàkˈá
sem-vergonha	shameless	sˈέklì vlˈέklì kə̃̀nkùrˈí

Word list recorded from Pedro José Tiatoni, a wandering pajé (shaman) from Jatobá, Pernambuco (near Maniçobal):

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Aticum
amigo	friend	méˈὲlì
bolha d'água	water bubble	boiI dˈægwai
casar-se	marry	kã̀zˈuUtĩ
cego	blind	sὲdˈíntú
cérebro	brain	ὲsὲloˈú bàiὲ
chefe	chief	šeEfˈuUte
cicatriz	scar	sìkˈéιtæ̀ù
corcovado	humped	kɔ́Ɔkɔ̀rˈítìvá
corpo	body	èžóːO kóOpítˈĩ̀
cotovelo	elbow	šὲkítˈũ̀và
dedo	finger	dὲényˈò
doente	sick	déˈósìtə̃́
doer	to hurt, be in pain	dòέkátˈũ̀
garganta	throat	gàrgὲlˈí
gêmeos	twins	zéὲˈéEtìò
inimigo	enemy	ínˈίƖsì
médico	doctor	météòhˈὲtù
muco	mucus	bὲtˈṍkyà
nuca	nape	sṹkˈè kɔ̀tì
ombro	shoulder	álíˈɔ́kà
patrão	master, boss	péEtɔi
pulso	pulse	sὲóːspˈóːpə̀
punho	fist	pὲóOtˈə̃̀
pus	pus	pe
queixo	chin	séikítˈὲ šĩ̀
remédio	medicine	rèmèzˈítíò
rosto	face	làbàtˈíš tὲˈíštú
surdo	deaf	sùUtˈέlì
testa	forehead	tˈúmàžĩ́nὲtà
tossir	cough	tˈóːmɔ̀štìà
tumor	tumor	túmˈàžù
varíola	smallpox	vȁréʔˈὲlì
veia	vein	vέlˈùUsí
verruga	wart	gˈaAgoleE

Word list recorded from Luís Baldo, a wandering pajé (shaman) from near Cachoeirinha, Pernambuco:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Aticum
água	water	žεntˈura
árvore (genérico)	tree (generic)	selˈa
árvore (musame)	tree (musame)	žˈatoe
árvore (um tipo)	tree (type of)	aparεšiˈũ
cabeça	head	nˈuvi
casa	house	zə̃ŋgˈada, ohə̃šˈaria
cobra	snake	sarapˈɔ
fogo	fire	ˈošu
fumo	smoke	pakˈaso
furar / buraco	to drill / hole	žudˈaku
lavar-se	wash oneself	žodˈaxsi
limpo	clean	žˈinto
mão	hand	žə̃nˈu
nuvem	cloud	žˈúnúpà
orelha	ear	ukˈə̃
panela	pan	sə̃nˈεla
peixe	fish	useštiãˈõ
(piolho)	(louse)	žirˈuda
rir	laugh	xˈika
sol	sun	patupˈə̃
o sol está quente	The sun is hot.	o so ʌta kˈə̃ta
acender	light up	æžudˈea
acordar-se	wake up	axšodˈaːši
algodão	cotton	kapušˈu
alegre	happy	gˈεgi
aldeia	village	žˈə̃ndũ
amargo	bitter	ažˈaxku
apagar	turn off	ašotˈa
arbusto	bush	žˈota
azedo	sour	aAsˈedu
balde	bucket	εlˈagi
banana	banana	ə̃nə̃nˈa
barranco	ravine	sahˈə̃ŋku
batata	potato	šˈə̃milya
bode	goat	tˈoda
bolsa	bag	zˈoOsa
brando	mild	žˈandu
cachaça	cachaça	kə̃mbˈumba
cachorro	dog	tašˈoku
cadeira	chair	sadeˈira
caixa	box	šekˈə̃
cama	bed	sˈəma
cansado	tired	sˈadu
carriça	wren	sumˈiga
cego	blind	sˈεsa
cerca	fence	sˈeːkə
cesta	basket	εsestaˈũgũ
chorar	cry	šˈuga
cobertor	blanket	zˈidyo
colher	spoon	æžilˈεka, šulˈεka
cova	grave	šˈɔda
cru	crude	tu
cuia	cuia	εšˈuia
dedo	finger	dˈedo
doce	sweet	dˈota
doente	sick	žinˈεti
duro	hard	ažˈuru, sˈasu
encanamento	plumbing	žedˈə̃
engolir	swallow	gˈui
escada	ladder	žikˈada
espinho	thorn	žõŋgaˈiža
esteira	mat	bešteˈira
estrangeiro	stranger, foreigner	žˈĩžeiro
feijão	bean	seižˈãõ
fósforo	match (lighter)	sˈɔˑstu
gato	cat	tˈata
gêmeos	twins	žεni
gritar	shout	ˈita
ilha	island	ˈida
os índios	Indians	nus dí žˈíŋgàʔ šú
Jânio Quadros	Jânio Quadros	uz ˈondios
Japão	Japan	o zˈiru cə̃ntalˈεros
jarro	jug	lˈažo
lã	there	osˈõndia
lagarto preto	black lizard	žakobˈebo
lama	mud	cˈə̃ntara
ligeiro	light	varˈeru
linha	line	diŋaz
mal	bad	zau
médico	doctor	žˈedigu
mesa	table	zˈeza
morcego	bat	sosˈegu
onça	jaguar	dˈõnsa
parede	wall	degˈedi
peneira	sieve	seneˈira
penha	cliff	šˈẽñã
ponte	bridge	tˈeasiŋ, sˈõnti, gražˈuris
prato	plate	šˈatu
primeiro	first	temˈedo
pulso	pulse	žˈεdigo
punho	fist	tˈuŋa
querer	want	seˑrˈea
rede	net	ˈedõ
remédio	medicine	žegˈεdu
sabão	soap	šodˈãõ
sibilar	hiss	klˈika
suar	to sweat	ašugˈaxša
tatu	armadillo	takˈu
tear	loom	žˈeda
tecido	fabric	osˈedãõ
terremoto	earthquake	gə̃mˈɔta
testa	forehead	tˈεεka
teto	ceiling	ketˈu
tossir	to cough	sˈɔta
triste	sad	kˈesti
tronco	trunk	sidˈə̃
último	last, final	žˈitimu
urso	bear (animal)	ˈuta
urubu	vulture	ukəŋgˈu
varíola	smallpox	zˈεriola
vassoura	broom	barsoˈura
vazio	empty	žˈažiu
vela	candle	drˈεzba
verruga	wart	šə̃šugˈati
viga	beam	dˈigũ

References

^ "Atikum - Indigenous Peoples in Brazil". pib.socioambiental.org. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
^ Siqueira, Baptista (1978). Os Cariris do Nordeste (PDF) (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: Editora Cátedra.
^ Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
^ Pompeu Sobrinho, Thomaz. 1958. Línguas Tapuias desconhecidas do Nordeste: Alguns vocabulários inéditos. Boletim de Antropologia (Fortaleza-Ceará) 2. 3-19.
^ Campbell, Lyle (2024-06-25), "Unclassified and Spurious Languages", The Indigenous Languages of the Americas (1 ed.), Oxford University PressNew York, pp. 280–338, doi:10.1093/oso/9780197673461.003.0005, ISBN 978-0-19-767346-1, retrieved 2025-09-26
^ Meader, Robert E. (1978). Indios do Nordeste: Levantamento sobre os remanescentes tribais do nordeste brasileiro (in Portuguese). Brasilia: SIL International.