Muinane is an indigenous American language spoken in Colombia.
Muinane | |
---|---|
Muìnánɨ | |
Native to | Colombia |
Region | Puerto Santander, Amazonas; between Caquetá River and Yari River in Caquetá Department |
Ethnicity | 2,100 (2018)[1] |
Native speakers | 150 (2007)[1] |
?Bora–Witoto
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | bmr |
Glottolog | muin1242 |
ELP | Muinane |
Classification
editMuinane belongs to the Boran language family, along with Bora.
Geographic distribution
editMuinane is spoken by 150 people in Colombia along the Upper Cahuinarí river in the Department of Amazonas. There may be some speakers in Peru.
Phonology
editConsonants
editBilabial | Alveolar | Postalveolar/ Palatal |
Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ||
Plosive | p b | t d | tʲ dʲ | k ɡ | ʔ |
Affricate | tʃ dʒ | ||||
Fricative | ɸ β | s | ʃ j | x | |
Trill | r | rʲ |
- Voiceless stops and affricates contrast with their geminate counterparts: tː tʃː tʲː kː.
Vowels
editFront | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High | i | ɨ | u |
Low | ɛ | a | o |
Tone
editThere are two tones in Muinane: high and low.
Grammar
editWord order in Muinane is generally SOV. Case marking is nominative–accusative.
Vocabulary
editLoukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Muinane.[2]
English Muinane one sánótro two minóke head nígai eye adíge tooth ígaino man gáife water negfuáyu fire köxögai sun neʔegbua maize bédya jaguar höku
Writing System
editMuinane is written using a Latin alphabet. A chart of symbols with the sounds they represent is as follows:
Latin | IPA | Latin | IPA | Latin | IPA | Latin | IPA | Latin | IPA | Latin | IPA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a | /a/ | b | /b/ | c | /k/-/s/ | ch | /tʃ/ | d | /d/ | e | /e/ |
f | /ɸ/ | g(u) | /ɡ/-/x/ | h | /ʔ/ | i | /i/ | ɨ | /ɨ/ | j | /x/ |
ll | /dʒ/ | m | /m/ | n | /n/ | ñ | /ɲ/ | o | /o/ | p | /p/ |
qu | /k/ | r | /r/ | z | /s/ | s | /ʃ/ | t | /t/ | u | /u/ |
v | /β/ | y | /j/ |
- Palatalized consonants are written using the unpalatalized forms plus y: ty /tʲ/, dy /dʲ/, ry /rʲ/. For the purposes of alphabetization, these are considered sequences of letters.
- Tone is not generally indicated in writing. When it is shown, it is indicated by an acute accent over the vowel: á, é, í, ɨ́, ó, ú.
- The Muinane writing system is based on Spanish orthography. For that reason, the sound /k/ is written as c before a, ɨ, o, and u and as qu before e and i. Likewise, the sound /ɡ/ is written as gu before e and i, and g elsewhere.
References
editSources
edit- Aschmann, Richard P. (1993), Proto-Witotoan, Arlington, TX: SIL International, ISBN 0-88312-189-1
- Walton, James P.; Walton, Janice W.; Pakky de Buenaventure, Clementina (1997), Diccionario Bilingüe Muinane-Español/Español-Muinane, Santafé de Bogotá: Editorial Buena Semilla, OCLC 468683910