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Chiquitano

Language
Chiquitano

Family
Language isolate

Ethnologue
cax

ISO
cax

glottolog_id
chiq1248

Nouns table

gloss layer 1 sg 2 sg 3 sg m 3 sg f 1incl pl 1 pl 2 pl 3 pl m 3 pl f
cough lexeme niyautubequi nautubequi niyautubequirrti niyautubequirr nuyautubequi supautubequi nubautubequi niyautubequirrmia niyupautubequirr
cough prefix niy n niy niy nuy sup nub niy niyup
cough stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
cough suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrmia rr
ear lexeme niñumasu numasu numasurrti numasurr nuñumasu suiñumasu naumasu numasurrüma niñumasurr
ear prefix niñ n n n noñ suiñ naum n nom
ear stem #pal #plain #plain #plain #plain #pal #plain #plain #plain
ear suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrüma rr
foot lexeme nipope napope nipoperrti nipopes nopope suipope naupope nipoperrüma niyopopes
foot prefix ni na ni ni no sui nau ni niyo
foot stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
foot suffix zero zero rrti s zero zero zero rrüma s
hand lexeme niñee nee neerrti nees noñee suiñee naumee neerrüma nomees
hand prefix niñ n n n noñ suiñ naum n nom
hand stem #pal #plain #plain #plain #plain #pal #plain #plain #plain
hand suffix zero zero rrti s zero zero zero rrüma s
happiness lexeme nipucünuncunipucünuncu napucünuncu nipucünuncurrti nipucünuncurr nupucünuncu suipucünuncu naupucünuncu nipucünuncurrüma niyopucünuncurr
happiness prefix ni na ni ni nu sui nau ni niyo
happiness stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
happiness suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrüma rr
hunger lexeme nisürüpü nacürüpü nicürüpürrti nicürüpürr nocürüpü suisürüpü naucürüpü nicürüpürrüma niyocürüpürr
hunger prefix ni na ni ni no sui nau ni niyo
hunger stem #pal #plain #plain #plain #plain #pal #plain #plain #plain
hunger suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrüma rr
intestine lexeme nirranterere nanterere nanterererrti nantereres nurranterere suirranterere namanterere nanterererrüma niyumantereres
intestine prefix nirr n n n nurr suirr nam n niyum
intestine stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
intestine suffix zero zero rrti s zero zero zero rrüma s
knee lexeme nincha naincha nincharrti nincharr nuincha suincha naumincha nincharrüma niyumincharr
knee prefix ni na ni ni nu su naum n niyum
knee stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
knee suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrüma rr
life lexeme nisüboriqui nasüboriqui nisüboriquirrti nisüboriquirr nosüboriqui suisüboriqui nausüboriqui nisüboriquirrmia niyosüboriquirr
life prefix ni na ni ni no sui nau ni niyo
life stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
life suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrmia rr
shoulder lexeme nirrompacü nompacü nompacürrti nompacürr norrompacü suirrompacü namompacü nompacürrüma nomompacürr
shoulder prefix nirr n n n norr su nam n nom
shoulder stem #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain #plain
shoulder suffix zero zero rrti rr zero zero zero rrüma rr

Verbs table

gloss layer 1 sg 2 sg 3 sg m 3 sg f 1incl pl 1 pl 2 pl 3 pl m 3 pl f
grab lexeme rraiñenca aiñenca maiñenoti maiñeno maiñenca supaiñenca apaiñenca maiñenoma paiñeno
grab prefix rr zero b b b sup ap b p
grab suffix ca ca oti o ca ca ca oma o
tie lexeme rratomoenca atomoenca matomoencoti matomoenco matomoenca supatomoenca apatomoenca matomoencoma patomoenco
tie prefix rraiñenca zero b b b sup ap b p
tie suffix ca ca coti co ca ca ca coma co
cut lexeme yachepetoca achepetoca bachepetoboti bachepetobo machepetoca supachepetoca apachepetoca bachepetoboma pachepetobo
cut prefix i zero b b b sup ap m p
cut suffix ca ca boti bo ca ca ca boma bo
sleep lexeme rranuca anuca manumuti manumu umanuca supanuca aupanuca manumuma mumpanumu
sleep prefix rr zero b b um sup aup b mump
sleep suffix ca ca boti bo ca ca ca boma bo
fear lexeme irruca airruca birrubuti birrubu uirruca supirruca aupirruca birrubuma bopirrubu
fear prefix i a b b u sup aup b bop
fear suffix ca ca boti bo ca ca ca boma bo
look lexeme yarrüpiaca arrüpiaca barrüpiarati barrüpiara barrüpiaca suparrüpiaca aparrüpiaca barrüpiarama parrüpiara
look prefix i zero b b b sup ap b p
look suffix ca ca roti ro ca ca ca roma ro
cry lexeme isareoca areoca bareoroti bareoro bareoca supareoca apareoca bareoroma pareoro
cry prefix is zero b b b sup ap b p
cry suffix ca ca roti ro ca ca ca roma ro
leave lexeme iñocota aiñocota iñocotati iñocota uiñocota suiñocota apiñocota iñocotama opiñocota
leave prefix i a zero zero u su ap zero op
leave suffix zero zero ti zero zero zero zero ma zero
read lexeme leeboñü leebocü leebo leebo leebo leebo leebo leebo leebo
read prefix zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero
read suffix ñü cü ti zero oñü somu año ma io

Chiquitano notes

Orthography

The orthography employed by Galeote Torme (1993) generally follows the conventions of Spanish (e.g. /c/ = /k/, /qu/ = /k/ before front vowels), with following peculiarities:

  • /ü/ represents /ə/
  • /rr/ represents /ʃ/, or variants thereof

Nouns

  1. Person marking is found on inalienably possessed nouns (kin terms, body parts, personal qualities and the like).
  2. Suffix variation is phonologically predictable:
    • stems ending in -e take 3rd person feminine -s in place of -rr
    • stems ending in -i take 3rd plural masculine -rrmia in place of -rrüma
  3. The greatest variation is in the prefixation. The database records only those given in Galeote Torme's exposition of the inflection. In his list of paradigms further variants are found, but it is not clear whether these are one-off lexical peculiarities or more systematic allomorphy.
  4. Palatalization in the 1st person singular and exclusive plural occurs with stems beginning in /c/ (that is, /k/) or /t/. From the list of paradigms it appears to be automatic with stems in /t/, and lexically specified with stems in /c/.

Verbs

  1. The forms given here are in the affirmative indicative, following Galeote Tormo. There is quite a bit more to the paradigm, but it appears that it can be derived -- at least as far as the inflection class distinctions go -- fairly readily from this set.

  2. Galeote Tormo gives five classes of intransitive verbs, based on the 3rd person suffixes (3rd person feminine is the most basic), each with subtypes. Although he does state it explicitly, the subtypes appear to be phonologically conditioned, as do two of the main types.

    • if the stem contains a nasal, suffixal /b/ → /m/ and /r/ → /n/
    • if the stem ends in -u or -a, the vowel of the suffixes -bo and -ro assimilates (no examples involving -bo ~ -ba, but there are some with its nasal equivalent)
    • if the stem contains a nasal, prefixal /b/ → /m/ and /y/ → /ñ/
    • stems ending in -i are a predictable of C-final stems that take the 3rd person feminine suffix -o. Their characteristic is that the non-3rd person suffix is realized as -quia, presumably a type of palatalization (thus, /-C-ka/ ~ /-Ci-kia/).

    Thus the primary distinction between the inflection classes, on Galeote Tormo's system, is between (i) C-final verbs that take the suffix -co, (ii) C-final verbs that take -o, (iii) V-final verbs that take -bo, and (iv) V-final verbs that take -ro. 3. Transitive verbs lack the 3rd person prefixes and suffixes characteristic of intransitives, and display no inflection class differences. For some verbs there is a regular alternation between intransitive and transitive forms, depending on whether the object is expressed. But for other verbs such as 'leave' (p. 147) there is only a transitive form, even when they are used in the contexts which would otherwise call for an intransitive form. Thus transitive morphology appears to be at times lexically specified, constiuting an inflection class. Transitive verbs all take a stem-initial i-. (Since a 1st person singular prefix allomorph i- is found with intransitive verbs, that is assumed here too, even though, given the stem-initial i-, it is invisible, subject to the same assimilation seen in intransitives.) 4. From the list of paradigms it is also apparent that there is a class of verbs that take object pronoun suffixes for their subject, such as 'read'. These are not mentioned in the text, which discusses only: - transitive verbs with object suffixes - reflexive verbs, which have the form of intransitives + object suffixes

    These verbs correspond to neither type, in that they have neither the expected form of transitives (prefix i-, suffix -ta) or intransitives (3rd person suffixes, and non-3rd person -ca). (The verb 'say', not given in the database, is of this type, but appears to be highly irregular, with a suppletive 3rd person stem and a unique 1st person singular prefix.) Some of the verbs are stative (be able, be baptized, be written), but that does not appear to apply to 'read'. 5. The object suffixes are also used with predicate nominals, and with prepositions.

References

Galeote Tormo, Jesús. 1993. Manitana auqui besüro. Gramática moderna de la lengua chiquitana y vocabulario. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: Los Huérfanos.