Palikúr language
Arawakan language spoken in Brazil and French Guiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palikúr (Brazilian Portuguese: Palicur, French: Palikur) is an Arawakan language of Brazil and French Guiana, spoken by the Palikur and formerly the Karipuna do Amapá.[2] Knowledge of French and Portuguese is common among the Palikur, and French Guianese Creole is used as the common language among the tribes in the area and with the local population. Palikúr is considered endangered in French Guiana and vulnerable in Brazil.[3][4]
-
Northern
- Palikuran
- Palikúr
- Palikuran
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
- /e, o/ are heard as [ɛ, ɔ] within different positions.
- /a/ is heard as a nasalized central vowel sound [ɐ̃] when preceding a nasal consonant.[5]
Pronouns
Palikúr has dependent and independent personal pronouns.[6] The verb marks the object by using suffixes, but not the subject, which must appear in the form of a nominal group or as an independent pronoun. This affixation of only the object and not of the subject is linguistically very rare: the norm is the affixation for both or for only the subject. The noun complement is marked by a possessive prefix.[4]
| Palikúr | English | Prefixes Noun, Relation, Subject of Verb | Suffixes Object of verb | Independent Pronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | I | n(u)- | -(u)n | náhu |
| 2sg | you (singular) | pi- | -pi | písu |
| 3msg | he | ri- | -ri | irV |
| 3fsg | she | ru- | -ru | erV |
| 1pl.incl | we (inclusive) | u- | -wi | wísu |
| 1pl.excl | we (exclusive) | w(a)- | u-su | |
| 2pl | you (plural) | ji- | -ji | jí-su |
| 3pl | they | ri-...-kisV, ru-...-kisV | -rikisV, rukisV | irV-kisV |
Loanwords
Palikúr has several loanwords, many of which are wildlife-related, from the Carib language, including:[6]
| English | Palikúr | Carib |
|---|---|---|
| Sloth | waikuli | waikore |
| Anteater | tamanua | tamaanuwa |
| Giant armadillo | malulaima | manuraimo |
| Paca | urana | urana |
| Agouti | kuʃiwai | akusiwai |
| Peccary | pakira | pakiira |
| Coati | kuwaʃ | kuwasi |
| Otter | saruru | sarooro |
| Squirrel monkey | akarma | akarima |
| Pied tamarin | kusiri | kusiri |
| Spider monkey | kuwata | kuwata |
| Hummingbird | tukusi | tukuʔsi |
| Juruti | wilusi | werusi |
| Thrush | kuwaswi | kurasiwai |
| Southern American bushmaster | urukru | urukuku |
| Tortoise | wajamu | wajaamu |
| Giant Amazonian ants | irakrĩ | irako |
