The Krenak language, also known as Botocudo or Borum, is an endangered Indigenous language of Brazil. It belongs to the Macro‑Gê language family, specifically the Krenak branch, and is the sole surviving member of a small language family within this group.
Geographic distribution
Historically spoken by the Botocudo (Krenak) people in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the language is now primarily used by a few elderly speakers in that region.
Number of speakers
According to Ethnologue (18th edition, 2015) and the 2006 Brazilian census, there were approximately 10 native speakers, all of whom were older women at the time of reporting.
Language status
The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger classifies Krenak as Critically Endangered, indicating that intergenerational transmission has largely ceased.
Classification
- Family: Macro‑Gê
- Sub‑family: Krenak languages
- ISO 639‑3 code: kqq
- Glottolog: kren1239
Dialects
Documented dialectal varieties include Nakrehé, Uti, and Krag (also referred to as Nakpie).
Phonology
Vowels
- Close: /i, ɨ, u/ (with nasalized counterparts /ĩ, ɨ̃, ũ/)
- Close‑mid: /ə/
- Open‑mid: /ɛ, ɔ/ (nasalized /ɛ̃, ɔ̃/)
- Open: /a/ (nasalized /ɜ̃/)
Consonants
- Plosives/Affricates: voiceless /p, t, t͡ʃ, k, ʔ/; voiced /b, d, d͡ʒ, g/
- Fricatives: /ʒ, h/ (with an allophonic velar fricative [x])
- Nasals: voiceless /m̥, n̥, ɲ̊, ŋ̊/; voiced /m, n, ɲ, ŋ/
- Tap: /ɾ/
- Approximants: /w, j/
Prenasalized allophones such as [ᵐb, ⁿd, ⁿd͡ʒ, ᵑɡ] occur when a nasal or nasalized vowel precedes a voiced stop.
Sociolinguistic context
Krenak is spoken mainly by older community members, with limited use among younger generations. Efforts to document and revitalize the language have included phonetic and phonological analyses, as well as the collection of oral narratives.
References
- Ethnologue, 18th edition (2015) – entry for Krenak (kqq).
- UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger – classification of Krenak as Critically Endangered.
- Katia N. Pessoa (2012), Análise fonética e fonológica da língua Krenak e abordagem preliminar de contos Botocudo (PhD dissertation, Campinas).
Note: The information above is drawn from publicly available linguistic references and the Wikipedia article “Krenak language” (retrieved April 2026).