Catuquinaru language
Extinct language of Brazil
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Catuquinaru or Catuquinarú is the extinct and unclassified language of the Catuquinaru tribe of Brazil, preserved in a few words collected by Jose Bach and published by G. E. Church in 1898. The name is a common derivative of Catuquina. Loukotka,[1] among others,[2] includes it among the Tupi languages, describing the people as Tupinized Catuquina. However, the little preserved vocabulary does not resemble that of the Tupi languages, Catuquinan languages, or Panoan languages (compare Panoan Catuquina).
Vocabulary
The original and only recorded vocabulary of Catuquinarú is presented below.
| Gloss | Catuquinarú |
|---|---|
| head | tacasú |
| hair | anahé |
| eyes | cesá |
| nose | tinoá |
| mouth | agahó |
| teeth | canha |
| neck | yayoruá |
| breast | putia |
| shoulders | copey |
| arm | yanó |
| stomach | maricau |
| eyebrows | namÿ |
| legs | getemaupú |
| feet | pihú |
| hands | punÿ |
| house/maloca | ocausú |
| white man/Christian | carynosú |
| large boat | moracatÿ |
| hammock/net | ouÿsauarusú |
| arrows | uhÿnasú |
| bow | uhÿnarasúcó |
| poison for arrows | orarÿ |
| earthen pot | comatÿnú |
| copal gum | ananÿ |
| water | uhehÿ |
Some recorded phrases are as follows:
Guabila-guateli-téna? 'What tribe do you belong to?'
Amago-hépÿ 'We belong to this'
Acó 'No, I don't want it, I am not agreed'
Honaytÿ 'I want it, I accept'
Bach reported that the Catuquinaru used a coded version of their language to communicate over distances of up to 1.5 km via drums called cambarysus.[4][5]
