Tinigua language
Endangered language of Colombia
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Tinigua (Tiniguas) is an endangered Tiniguan language spoken in Colombia that used to form a small language family with the now-extinct Pamigua language. It is spoken by only one person.
Name
The name "Tinigua" comes from the words tiní 'old' and gwá 'as, like' and thus means 'language of the old'.[2]
Speakers
As of 2000, Tinigua had only two remaining speakers, Sixto Muñoz (Tinigua name: Sɨsɨthio ‘knife’) and his brother, Criterio. Criterio died around 2005, leaving behind Sixto as the last remaining speaker of Tinigua.[3] Formerly a resident of the Serranía de la Macarena in Meta Department, Sixto Muñoz currently resides in Jiw village of Barrancón, near the main town of Guaviare Department. There may have been more speakers located elsewhere, as a farmer reportedly met others who spoke the same language as Sixto.[4]: 1029 They lived in Meta Department, between the Upper Guayabero and Yari rivers.[5]
Muñoz also speaks Spanish and is thought to have been born somewhere from 1924 to 1929. He has five children, but he chose not to teach them Tinigua because they would not have any use for it.[3]
Phonology
The following phonological description of Tinigua is tentative due to the scarce documentation of the language. There are likely inaccuracies and missing phonological contrasts.[4]: 1037
Vowels
Consonants
/g/ is not attested word-initially and has a limited distribution. /t͡ʃ/ and /t͡s/ sometimes alternate with each other, but also contrast with each other.[4]
Phonotactics
Tinigua syllable structure is typically CV or CVC, where C represents any consonant and V any vowel. CVV structure is due to the phonetic lengthening of vowels word-finally.[4]
Morphology
Noun phrase
The noun phrase in Tinigua may contain pronouns, modifiers, quantifiers, and demonstratives, among others, and is structured as follows:[4]
| demonstrative | quantifier | possessor/noun | modifier |
Nominal morphology
Nominal morphology in Tinigua is restricted to classifier and plural-marking endoclitics, the latter of which (=ha) may occur outside of the noun phrase, and the associative plural suffix.[4]
jɨsɨ=tʰo
canoe=CLF:sturdy
ɲɨ́w=tʰo
be.small=CLF:sturdy
‘little canoe’
kʰakʰá
here(this one)
nɨzɨ́=ha
boy=PL
jitʰátʰako=ha
be.hungry=PL
‘These boys here are hungry.’
The morpheme handá (also endi ~ anda ~ andej) is used to mark subject noun phrases in clauses.[4]
hawá-je,
say-VSUFF
ɲaǃ
here
endi
SBJ
hatsamí-j
be.white-VSUFF
ɲísa
woman
'"Here you go, (have this)!" the white woman said.'
Vocabulary
Comparison
Below is a comparison of Tinigua forms elicited from Sixto Muñoz in 2019 compared with Tinigua and Pamigua words recorded in Castellví (1940).[2][4]
English gloss Tinigua (Sixto Muñoz) Tinigua (Castellví) Pamigua (Castellví) eye sɨ́ti zőti, zə̀ti sete, xete water ɲikʷájtʃi ñikwáiši nikagé fire hikʰítsa ičísa ekísa woman ɲísa ñíza, ñísä nixtá dog hanó xamno, xámiu xannó jaguar kʰíɲa ~ tʃíɲa číña, ǰíña, xiña xiñaga corn jóʔhá t’óka, tióka xukxá manioc komáha xaačá xoayoa let's go minahá manaxǎí menáxa chili pepper tsákʰa ţáxa saxa 'salt' good hajohási ayuxáǐ ayoxagua ‘good morning’ plantain mandótʰa madóxa mandotá spirit hamajiéha pan-kianóso kinoxá ‘enemy’ man tsɨtsía psäţeyá piksiga five tsátokʷahá (tsátho-kʷaʔa ‘left.side-hand’) xopa-kuáxa saksu-kuaxa eleven tapásaɲóha čimatóse-kiésä čipsé ipa-kiaxi
Swadesh list
Below is the 100-word Swadesh list for Tinigua.
| Number | Gloss | Tinigua |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | híkʷa |
| 2 | you (sg.) | kázɨ |
| 3 | we | hikʷáʔa ~ hikʷáha |
| 4 | this | hángi |
| 5 | that | híkʰá |
| 6 | who | nɨ́ʔa |
| 7 | what | kaɲígahe ~ kaɲí |
| 8 | not | hégʷa (negation particle) |
| 9 | all | tʰiána |
| 10 | many | hajusi ~ ajútsɨ ~ ajusi |
| 11 | one | kíʔ-je 'to be one, be first' |
| 12 | two | hatsajtʃa ~ hátsa |
| 13 | big | hajjúko |
| 14 | long | hatsɨ́ 'to be long, far, distant' |
| 15 | small | nɨ́o 'to be small' |
| 16 | woman | ɲísa |
| 17 | man | tsɨtsía |
| 18 | person | hanoso |
| 19 | fish | zɨsóha (pl.) |
| 20 | bird | tsɨtsáha (pl.) |
| 21 | dog | hanú |
| 22 | louse | hisía |
| 23 | tree | kíhi |
| 24 | seed | ɲihósea |
| 25 | leaf | kʰiwíha |
| 26 | root | kiʔtʰáha |
| 27 | bark | |
| 28 | skin | kʷátatsa |
| 29 | flesh | handá ɲisá |
| 30 | blood | hahájkʰía |
| 31 | bone | kʰitʰáh |
| 32 | grease | |
| 33 | egg | mákʰikʰí |
| 34 | horn | |
| 35 | tail | matsíɸʷajtʃa |
| 36 | feather | hatsówi |
| 37 | hair | zozíha |
| 38 | head | jɨéte |
| 39 | ear | tʃátsɨtoa |
| 40 | eye | sɨ́ti |
| 41 | nose | kʰízɨsɨ |
| 42 | mouth | kíwa |
| 43 | tooth | jióto |
| 44 | tongue | tʰinútsa |
| 45 | claw | |
| 46 | foot | sɨ́kina |
| 47 | knee | tʰízɨsa |
| 48 | hand | kʷáʔana |
| 49 | belly | jamako |
| 50 | neck | |
| 51 | breasts | jáʔzɨná |
| 52 | heart | jihéʔ |
| 53 | liver | máʔzɨʔná |
| 54 | (to) drink | jaɲekʷá |
| 55 | eat | jiʔú |
| 56 | bite | hakʷɨ́ |
| 57 | see | ɲɨnzɨ́ |
| 58 | hear | kʰahá |
| 59 | know | |
| 60 | sleep | ɲiná |
| 61 | die | ɲimá |
| 62 | kill | pakʷá |
| 63 | swim | ɲisɨ́ |
| 64 | (to) fly | jakʷjní |
| 65 | walk | kiwá |
| 66 | come | nakú |
| 67 | lie (down) | hatʃí |
| 68 | sit | hútʰjoí |
| 69 | stand | |
| 70 | give | nahánika |
| 71 | say | jajé hawá (also 'think') |
| 72 | sun | ɲíɸo |
| 73 | moon | hatsɨ́ ɲíɸo |
| 74 | star | ʋṍsa |
| 75 | water | ɲikʷájtʃe |
| 76 | rain | hatʰokútʃe |
| 77 | stone | ɲitsátsa |
| 78 | sand | tʃipawína |
| 79 | earth | towána |
| 80 | cloud | haɲíj natʰí |
| 81 | smoke | sɨnátʰi |
| 82 | fire | hikʰítsa |
| 83 | ash | |
| 84 | (to) burn | kʰaɸʷá |
| 85 | path | nátsɨ |
| 86 | mountain | |
| 87 | red | hatsambá 'to be red' |
| 88 | green | hasɨtsá 'to be green' |
| 89 | yellow | hasaná 'to be yellow' |
| 90 | white | hatsamá |
| 91 | black | hatʃandá 'to be black/dark' |
| 92 | night | hapɨ́jtʃa (also 'late') |
| 93 | hot | hanzá 'to be hot' |
| 94 | cold | hotsɨ́ |
| 95 | full | hajítʰo |
| 96 | new | |
| 97 | good | hajohási ~ ajohási |
| 98 | round | |
| 99 | dry | hapawú 'to be dry' |
| 100 | name | jawú 'to be called/named' |
