Ethnologue According to Ethnologue, the language family is as follows: • Northern Jê •
Apinayé (2,300 speakers) •
Mẽbengokre (Kayapó) (8,638 speakers) •
Panará (Kreen Akarore) (380 speakers) •
Suyá (350 speakers) •
Timbira (Canela-Krayô, with the
Canela and
Kreye dialects) (5,100 speakers) • Central Jê •
Acroá (†) •
Xavante (9,600 speakers) •
Xerente (1,810 speakers) •
Xakriabá (†) • Southern Jê •
Xokleng (760 speakers) • Kaingáng •
Kaingáng (18,000 speakers) •
São Paulo Kaingáng (†) •
Ingain (†) •
Guayana (†)
Loukotka (1968) Below is a full list of Jê language varieties listed by
Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties. ;Timbirá group •
Mehin – language spoken in the village of
Araraparituya on the right bank of the
Gurupí River, Maranhão state. Now perhaps extinct. •
Tajé /
Timbirá – spoken in the village of
Bacurí on the right bank of the
Mearim River, state of Maranhão. •
Kukoekamekran – once spoken on the lower course of the
Grajaú River, Maranhão. (Unattested.) •
Kreapimkatajé /
Krepúnkateye – spoken on the middle course of the
Grajaú River. •
Karákatajé – once spoken by the southern neighbors of the preceding tribe. (Unattested.) •
Krenjé – spoken at the sources of the
Gurupí River. •
Remkokamekran /
Remako-Kamékrere /
Merrime – spoken on the
Corda River and
Alpercatas River, especially in the village of
Ponto. •
Aponegicran /
Apáñekra – language spoken at the sources of the
Corda River. •
Krenkatajé /
Canella – extinct language once spoken in the village of
Suridade on the
Alpercatas River. •
Sakamekran /
Chacamecran /
Mateiros – spoken on the
Codo River and Flores River. •
Purekamekran – extinct language once spoken at the sources of the
Grajaú River. •
Makamekran /
Pepuxi – once spoken on the
Manuel Alves Pequeno River. •
Kenpokatajé – once spoken between the
Manuel Alves Grande River and
Manuel Alves Pequeno River. (Unattested.) •
Kanakateyé – once spoken on the
Farinha River, Maranhão. (Unattested.) •
Apinagé – language spoken between the
Tocantins River and
Araguaia River, near their confluence. •
Karaho /
Carauau – once spoken in the
Serra do Estrondo, Goiás state. •
Menren /
Gavioes /
Augutjé – spoken between the
Tocantins River and
Surubiu River in the state of Pará. (Only a few words.) •
Meitajé – spoken by a few individuals northeast of
Itupiranga, Maranhão state. •
Norokwajé /
Nurukwayé – spoken south of the Apinagé tribe on the
Tocantins River, but perhaps extinct now. (Unattested.) ;Krao group •
Krahó /
Krao – language spoken between the
Macapá River and Balsas River and the Serra das
Alpercatas, Maranhão state. •
Krikati /
Krikatajé – spoken between the
Tocantins River and
Grajaú River to the sources of the
Pindaré River, Maranhão. •
Piokobjé /
Bncobu /
Pukobje – spoken at the sources of the
Grajaú River. •
Kapiekran – once spoken on the Balsas River, Maranhão. ;Kayapó group •
Kayapó /
Ibirayára – originally in the interior of the state of Goiás, now between the
Araguaia River and
Tapajós River, state of Pará. Dialects: •
Iraamráire /
Meibenokre /
Mekubengokrä / '''Cayapó do Rio Pau d'Arco''' – spoken on the
Arrais River and
Pau d'Arco River, state of Pará; now probably extinct. •
Gorotiré /
Cayapó do Xingu – spoken as a dialect of Cayapó between the
Xingu River and
Pau d'Arco River. •
Chikrí /
Xicri – spoken between the
Macaxeira River and
Pardo River, south of the
Itacaiunas River, Pará. •
Kuben-Kran-Keñ – spoken on the
Ambé River near
Altamira, Pará. •
Dzyoré – spoken at the sources of the
Cuxura River, Pará. (Unattested.) •
Purucaru – spoken between the
Fresco River and the sources of the
Itacaiunas River. (Unattested.) •
Metotíre /
Chukahamai – spoken by a few individuals on the
Culuene River near the falls of
Von Martius and on the
Jarina River, state of Mato Grosso. •
Kruatire – spoken on the right bank of the
Liberdade River, Pará. (Unattested.) •
Krinkatíre – spoken by an unknown tribe in the state of Mato Grosso. (Unattested.) •
Kren-Akárore – spoken by an unknown tribe, Mato Grosso. (Unattested.) •
Mek-kran-noty – spoken on the
Iriri River, Pará state. (Unattested.) •
Kradahó /
Gradaú – once spoken between the
Araguaia River and
Sororó River, Pará, now perhaps extinct. •
Ushikrin – extinct dialect once spoken on the
Vermelho River south of the Carajá tribe, state of Goiás. ;Central group •
Southern Cayapó – incorrect name of a language the original name of which is unknown; originally spoken in the southern areas of the state of Mato Grosso on the
Turvo River,
Corumbá River,
Meia Ponte River,
Tijuco River,
das Velhas River,
Pardo River,
Sucuriú River,
Aporé River,
Verde River, and
Taquari River. Later found in the old mission of
Santa Ana de Paranaíba and now spoken by only a few families in a village on the confluence of the
Grande River and
Paraná River, state of São Paulo. The following extinct languages may have been related: •
Panariá – extinct language spoken once near
Uberaba, state of Minas Gerais. •
Mandimbóia – state of Minas Gerais on the
Verde River and
Sapucai-Guasú River. •
Candindé – once spoken in the
Itapecerica Valley near
Divinópolis, Minas Gerais. •
Bocoani – once spoken between the
Turvo River and
Preto River, Minas Gerais. •
Morupak /
Mirapác – once spoken between the
Sapucai-Guasú River and
Jaguari River, state of Minas Gerais. •
Katágua – once spoken on the
Jequiriçá River, Minas Gerais. •
Puxiauá – language of the neighbors of the Katágua tribe. •
Teremembe – once spoken on the
Paraopeba River,
Paranaíba River,
Grande River, and
Sapucai-Guasú River, Minas Gerais. •
Araxó – once spoken in the vicinity of the modern city of
Araxá, Minas Gerais. •
Araxué – once spoken between the
Serra Canastra and
Mata de Corda. •
Carayá – unknown language spoken by a tribe from the northern area of the
Paraíba do Sul River, Minas Gerais. ;Western •
Suyá – language spoken by a tribe that once lived at the mouth of the
Suia-Missu River on the
Xingu River; now in an unexplored area to the north. ;Eastern •
Goyá – extinct language once spoken at the sources of the
Vermelho River, Goiás state. (Unattested.) •
Xavante /
Akwẽ /
Akuän /
Kayamó – spoken in the state of Mato Grosso in the
Serra do Roncador and between the
Tocantins River and
Araguaia River in the
Serra dos Chavantes. •
Xerente – spoken between the
Tocantins River,
Sono River and
Urucuaí River in the interior of the state of Goiás •
Xaraó – extinct language once spoken in the village of
Pedro Afonso on the
Tocantins River. (Unattested.) •
Xakriabá /
Chicriabá – extinct language once spoken in the state of Goiás between the
Palma River and
Corumbá River. •
Acroá /
Coroá – extinct language once spoken at the sources of the
Parnaíba River and
Paranaíba River, state of Bahia. •
Aricobé /
Abroa – once spoken on the
Preto River and in the
Serra das Figuras, state of Bahia. Several families have been reported in this location. (Unattested.) •
Takacuá – extinct language once spoken on the middle course of the
Sono River, state of Goiás. (Unattested.) •
Guaiba – once spoken on Guaiba Island in the
São Francisco River near the city of
São Romão, state of Minas Gerais. (Unattested.) •
Krixá – once spoken in the São Marcos valley between the
Urucuia River and
Paracatu River in the state of Minas Gerais. (Unattested.) •
Goguez /
Guegué – once spoken between the
Tocantins River and
Gurguéia River in the state of Piauí. (Unattested.) ;Jeicó group •
Jaicó /
Zyeikó – extinct language once spoken on the
Canindé River,
Gurguéia River, and
Piauí River, state of Piauí •
Eastern Timbirá – once spoken in the state of Piauí between the
Itaim River and
Parnaíba River. (Unattested.) •
Arua – once spoken in Piauí state between the
Itaim River and
Jaguaribe River. (Unattested.) •
Ponti – once spoken on an island in the
São Francisco River near the city of Quebrobó (
Cabrobó), Pernambuco state; Portuguese is now spoken. (Unattested.)
Ramirez (2015) Internal classification of the Jê languages according to Ramirez, et al. (2015): ;Jê • Southern Jê (
dialect continuum) •
Ingain ↔
Xokleng ↔
Kaigáng • Northern Jê • Jê proper (
Timbira-Kayapó dialect continuum) •
Canela-Krahô ↔ Gavião-Krĩkati ↔
Apinajé ↔
Kayapó ↔
Suyá-Tapayuna ↔
Panará-Kayapó do Sul • Akuwẽ (various microdialects) •
Xavante •
Xerente (including
Xakriabá,
Akroá, Gueguê) Ramirez excludes
Jaikó as a possibly
spurious language.
Nikulin (2020) According to Nikulin (2020), the internal branching of the Jê language family is as follows: ;Jê •
Paraná •
Ingain •
Southern Jê •
Kaingáng •
Laklãnõ •
Cerrado •
Akuwẽ •
Xerénte •
Xavánte •
Xakriabá •
Acroá •
Goyaz Jê •
Southern Kayapó •
Mossâmedes dialect •
Triângulo dialect •
Panará •
Northern Jê •
Timbíra •
Parkatêjê;
Kỳikatêjê • Core Timbíra •
Krikati;
Pykobjê •
Krahô;
Canela (dialects:
Apànjêkra,
Mẽmõrtũmre) •
Trans-Tocantins •
Apinajé •
Trans-Araguaia •
Mẽbêngôkre (dialects:
Xikrín,
Kayapó) •
Tapajós •
Kĩsêdjê •
Tapayúna Jaikó is treated as a separate branch of Macro-Jê. Some
sound changes and
lexical innovations that define various Jê subgroups: •
Proto-Southern Jê *a *ãm,
*ũm,
*ɨ̃m •
Proto-Northern Jê: replacement of
*kakũm ‘dry season’ (as in
Panará akũŋ and
Proto-Central Jê ) with •
Proto-Timbíra:
*c >
*h •
Proto-Trans-Tocantins: replacement of
*a-mbə ‘eat (intransitive)’ with
*ap-ku ==Proto-language==
Nikulin (2020) Proto-Jê reconstructions by Nikulin (2020): : For a more complete list of Proto-Jê reconstructions, as well as Proto-Southern Jê reconstructions, see the corresponding
Portuguese article.
Ribeiro & van der Voort (2010) Proto-Jê reconstructions by Ribeiro and van der Voort (2010): : ==References==