Language name and locationː Waimiri-Atroarí, Amazonas, Brazil [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 韦米里-阿特罗阿里语, 巴西西北部亚马逊州和罗赖马州接壤的地区

1. awini ~ awinini ~ awinihe ~ awynihe

2. typytyna   Note that the symbol ''y'' is the High central vowel [ɨ].

3. takynynapa

4. from four up borrowed Portuguese 

Linguist providing data and dateː Prof. Ana Carla Bruno, The National Institute of Amazonian Research (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia or INPA), Manaus, Brazil. August 28, 2010.

 提供资料的语言学家: Prof. Ana Carla Bruno, 2010 年 8 月 28 日.

Other comments: Waimiri-Atroarí or Ki’nya, Kinja, is spoken by approximately 2,000 speakers in Amazonas state: border area with Roraima state on Alalau and Camanau, Jatapu, and Jauaperi rivers, Brazil. The native lexicon of Waimiri Atroari has only three numeral words*, whose meaning is not generally restricted to mathematical quantities.  The expression awini ~ awinini ~awinihe ~awynihe’ means ‘alone’ and also ‘one;’ the term typytyna means ‘a couple,’ ‘a pair,’ or ‘two;’ the word for ‘three’ is takynynapa. Thus, traditionally the kinja (they call themselves 'kinja') counted only up to three; amounts higher than three were referred to simply as ‘several, many’.  Today, with the modern necessity for handling money and the introduction of western mathematical concepts through the village schools, the kinja started using Portuguese loanwords to refer to numbers higher than three. These borrowed numerals occur in the same position as the native words meaning ‘one,’ ‘two,’ or ‘three.’  Less commonly, Portuguese numerals for ‘one,’ ‘two,’ or ‘three’ may also be used instead of the native words, especially by the younger speakers. Note that I am using the term ‘numeral words’ instead of ‘numerals’ because I have no evidence for the existence of numerals as an independent part-of-speech in this language.