Jebero language

Jebero (Chebero, Xebero, Xihuila) is a moribund Amazonian language spoken by the Jebero people of Jeberos, Peru. It is spoken by only a small number of older adults and belongs to the Cahuapanan family together with Chayahuita.

Vowels



 * varies between close front unrounded, near-close front unrounded and close-mid front unrounded.
 * varies between near-close near-front rounded and close-mid back weakly rounded, with the latter realization being the most usual.
 * varies between mid near-front unrounded and close-mid central unrounded.
 * is shorter than the other vowels, particularly between voiceless consonants.
 * The sequence is sometimes realized as a syllabic.
 * varies between open central unrounded and near-open retracted front . The vowel chart in  puts  in the near-open central position.
 * In closed syllables, is realized as open-mid central unrounded.

Consonants

 * are bilabial, whereas is labialized velar.
 * is an affricate, rather than a plosive. It has nevertheless been placed in the table in that manner to save space.
 * are laminal denti-alveolar.
 * In the syllable coda, is realized with a wider contact, maximally dentoalveolo-velar.
 * After, the denti-alveolar contact is often not made, which makes sound more like a velar nasal.
 * may sometimes sound as if it were a lateral consonant, but it is never realized as lateral.
 * are dentoalveolo-palatal.
 * is sometimes realized as a weak fricative.
 * occurs only in the affirmative interjection.
 * is realized as a flap in the syllable onset and as a trill  in the syllable coda.
 * is a glottalized flap . Intervocalically, it is realized as a sequence.