Kadiwéu language

Kadiwéu
Mbayá
Native toBrazil
RegionMato Grosso do Sul
EthnicityKadiweu, Mbayá
Native speakers
1,600 (2006)
Guaicuruan
  • Kadiwéu
Dialects
  • Kadiwéu
  • Beakeo
  • Kinikinau-Guaicurú
  • Mbayá proper
Language codes
ISO 639-3kbc
Glottologkadi1248
ELPKadiwéu

Kadiwéu is a Guaicuruan language spoken by the Kadiweu people of Brazil, and historically by other Mbayá groups. It has around 1,200–1,800 people in Brazil. It is mainly a subject–verb–object language.

The name Kadiweu has variants such as Kaduveo, Caduveo, Kadivéu, and Kadiveo. This language is spoken near the Brazil-Paraguay border in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The nearest town is Bodoquena, which is 60 kilometers away. According to data collected in 1999 by FUNAI, the total population of the Kadiwéu is 1,014; however, more recent data collected in 2014 shows that the population increased to 1,413 over the past couple of years, while the most recently researched data (from 1976) showed that there were 500 speakers of the language. None of the works on Kadiweu discussed the level of endangerment.