Xavante language
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The Xavante language is a Macro-Gê language spoken in about 60 villages in the area surrounding Eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Xavante people are renowned as aggressive and prideful, but are most famous for their dualistic societal structure. Two clans, the âwawẽ and po'reza'õno comprise the culture, and marriage is not allowed between members of the same group. The Xavante are also known for their complex initiation rituals for young males in which a wooden earring is inserted in the earlobe. As time passes the size of these adornments is increased. The Xavante language is unique because of its 13 vowels and matching 13 consonants, its Object-Subject-Verb grammatical organization, and its interesting use of honorary and endearment terms in its morphology.
External link
- Xavante (http://www.sil.org/americas/brasil/LANGPAGE/EnglXVPg.htm)