ThePeba–Yaguan language family (alsoYaguan,Peban,Yáwan) is located in the northwesternAmazon, but todayYagua is the only remaining spoken language of the family.

French ethnologistPaul Rivet had suggested that the Peba–Yaguan family had been divided into two branches, withYameo in one branch, andPeba andYagua in the other.^{[citation needed]} There is extremely little documentation of Yameo and Peba, both of which are now extinct, though the townPebas on the Amazon River clearly takes its name from this group of people. The available documentation is largely due to the efforts of early Catholic missionaries, as summarized by Rivet.^{[citation needed]}

Čestmír Loukotka (1968), a Czechoslovak linguist, also listsMasamae (Mazán, Parara) as part of the language family. It is spoken around theMazán River inLoreto Department, Peru, and is most closely related toYameo.^[1]

Brazilian linguistMarcelo Jolkesky (2016) groupsPeba andYameo in one branch, andYagua in another separate branch.^[2]

There is no sound scientific evidence yet that the Peba–Yaguan family is related to any other family or stock of South America (in particular, there is no evidence for grouping it withCariban languages). There has likely been contact between the Yaguas andBora–Witotoan peoples, perhaps particularly during the era of the rubber-trade; this may account for some structural similarities between the languages (Doris Payne, linguist, forthcoming). Kaufman (2007) includesSabela,Taushiro, andOmurano in hisYawan family.^{[citation needed]}

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with theKwaza,Zaparoan, andNambikwaran language families due to contact.^[2]

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items.^[1]

gloss	Yagua	Peba	Yameo	Masamae
one	tékí	tomätaira	pwitér	poetinten
two	nanoxõ	monomoira	narámue
three	mungoá	tamoimansa	pwiterorineo
head	ori-nó	rai-no	wi-nátu	nato
ear	o-tsiwá	mi-tiwa	wi-tíwẽ
tooth	o-xaná	vi-ala	wi-é
man	wánu	komoley	awára
fire	[h]ená	föla	óle	aule
sun	iñi	remelané	natéra	raitará
earth	mokané	kapalé	pópo	popo
maize	lelú	lolú	ogung
tapir	nechá	ameisha	náse

• Powlison, P. (1995). Diccionario Yagua - Castellano. (Serie Lingüística Peruana, 35). Lima: Ministerio de Educación and Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Wiktionary has a list of reconstructed forms atAppendix:Proto-Peba-Yagua reconstructions

• Peba–Yaguan languages
• Language families

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