Bororo
Nominals table
| gloss | layer | sg | pl |
|---|---|---|---|
| monkey | lexeme | juko | jukoe |
| monkey | suffix | zero | e |
| monkey | stem | #stem 1 | #stem 2 |
| s/he | lexeme | ema | emage |
| s/he | suffix | zero | ge |
| s/he | stem | #stem | #stem |
| woman | lexeme | aredɨ | areme |
| woman | suffix | dɨ | e |
| woman | stem | aredɨ | areme |
| young man | lexeme | iparedɨ | ipare |
| young man | suffix | dɨ | e |
| young man | stem | #stem | #stem |
Person table
| gloss | layer | stem phonology | 1 sg | 2 sg | 3 sg | coref | recip | 1 incl | 1 pl | 2 pl | 3 pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| children | lexeme | o-initial | itore | akore | ore | tore | pugore | pagore | xedore | tagore | etore |
| children | prefix 1 | o-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| children | prefix 2 | o-initial | t | k | zero | zero | g | g | d | g | t |
| children | stem | o-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| fishhook | lexeme | C-initial | buwodu | ||||||||
| fishhook | prefix 1 | C-initial | i | a | bu | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| fishhook | prefix 2 | C-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| fishhook | stem | C-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| food | lexeme | V-initial | ike | ake | uke | tɨge | puge | page | xege | tage | eke |
| food | prefix 1 | V-initial | i | a | u | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| food | prefix 2 | V-initial | k | k | k | g | g | g | g | g | k |
| food | stem | V-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| lip | lexeme | o-initial | inogwa | akogwa | okwa | togwa | pugogwa | pagogwa | xenogwa | tagogwa | enogwa |
| lip | prefix 1 | o-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| lip | prefix 2 | o-initial | n | k | zero | zero | g | g | n | g | n |
| lip | stem | o-initial | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 |
| older brother | lexeme | C-initial | imana | amana | umana | tɨmana | pumana | pamana | xemana | tamana | emana |
| older brother | prefix 1 | C-initial | i | a | u | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| older brother | prefix 2 | C-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| older brother | stem | C-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| possession | lexeme | o-initial | ino | ako | o | pago | xeno | ||||
| possession | prefix 1 | o-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| possession | prefix 2 | o-initial | n | k | zero | n | g | g | n | g | n |
| possession | stem | o-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| speak | lexeme | C-initial | imago | amago | mako | tɨmago | pumago | pamago | xemago | tamago | emago |
| speak | prefix 1 | C-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| speak | prefix 2 | C-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| speak | stem | C-initial | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 |
| steal | lexeme | V-initial | ikiwëgɨ | akiwëgɨ | iwëgɨ | tɨgiwëgɨ | pugiwëgɨ | pagiwëgɨ | xegiwëgɨ | tagiwëgɨ | ekiwëgɨ |
| steal | prefix 1 | V-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| steal | prefix 2 | V-initial | k | k | zero | g | g | g | g | g | k |
| steal | stem | V-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| temple | lexeme | V-initial | iewɨ | aewɨ | jewɨ | ||||||
| temple | prefix 1 | V-initial | i | a | j | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| temple | prefix 2 | V-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| temple | stem | V-initial | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| with (animate) | lexeme | a-initial | itabo | tabo | pudabo | puapo | |||||
| with (animate) | prefix 1 | a-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| with (animate) | prefix 2 | a-initial | t | k | t | d | zero | g | d | g | t |
| with (animate) | stem | a-initial | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 |
| with (inanimate) | lexeme | a-initial | itabo | abo | pudabo | puapo | |||||
| with (inanimate) | prefix 1 | a-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| with (inanimate) | prefix 2 | a-initial | t | k | zero | d | zero | g | d | g | t |
| with (inanimate) | stem | a-initial | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 |
| word | lexeme | C-initial | iwadarɨ | awadarɨ | batarɨ | tɨwadarɨ | puwadarɨ | pawadarɨ | xewadarɨ | tawadarɨ | ewadarɨ |
| word | prefix 1 | C-initial | i | a | zero | tɨ | pu | pa | xe | ta | e |
| word | prefix 2 | C-initial | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero | zero |
| word | stem | C-initial | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 2 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 | #stem 1 |
Bororo notes
General observations
- The orthography used here follows the practical orthography used by Crowell (1979), in which j = /dʒ/ and x = /tʃ/. Examples taken from Rodrigues (1993) have been adapted to it.
- The same set of person prefixes are used across different word classes: verbs (subject), nouns (possessor with inalienables) and prepositions (object).
- Allomorphy in the 3sg extends across all these classes (Crowell 1979: 209f). Ø appears to be the default, except for agentive verbs, which always take u-.
- The voicing alternation that occurs in the thematic consonant ('prefix 2') corr lates with the presence or absence of a consonant in the preceding prefix (a-k-ogwa 'your lips (singular)' vs ta-g-ogwa (plural)). The voicing alternation in the stem that occurs between prefixed and unprefixed forms (i-mago 'I speak' vs mako 's/he speaks') is described by Crowell (1979: 15) as subject to the same conditions, but clearly it is not.
Nominals
- Only animate nouns distinguish number; a couple items have suppletive stems (Crowell 1979: 224-26).
- An exception to this is the word epa 'appropriate to', used to form compound derivatives. This takes a plural ending for inanimates too, but it is distinct from the animate form: jorobokuru epa ~ jorubokuru epa-ge 'doctors/nurses' (medicine appropriate) vs bolo epa-e 'cake ingredients' (Crowell 1979: 226).
References
Crowell, Thomas Harris. 1979. A grammar of Bororo. PhD thesis, Cornell University.
Rodrigues, Aryon Dall'Igna. 1993.Uma hipótese sobre a flexão de pessoa em Boróro. Anais da 45a Reunião Anual da SBPC, Recife. p. 50. Online at: http://biblio.etnolinguistica.org/rodrigues-1993-bororo.