Cochimí was once the language of the greater part Baja California, as attested by Jesuit documents of the 18th century. It seems to have become extinct around the beginning of the 20th century.[1] (Modern "Cochimi"-speakers are actually speakers of Kumiai.) There were two main dialects, northern and southern; the dividing line was approximately at the Misión San Ignacio Kadakaamán, in the north of present-day Baja California Sur.
| Cochimí | |
|---|---|
| Laymón | |
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | Baja California |
| Ethnicity | Cochimí people |
| Extinct | early 20th century[1] |
Yuman–Cochimí
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | coj |
coj.html | |
| Glottolog | coch1272 |
| ELP | Laimón |
The Jesuit texts establish that the language was related to the Yuman languages of the Colorado River region. It is thought to be the most divergent language of the family, which is generally called Yuman–Cochimí to reflect this. Based on glottochronology studies, the separation between Cochimi and the Yuman languages is believed to have occurred about 1000 BC.[2]
Cochimí text
editFollowing is the Lord's Prayer in the dialect of San Ignacio Kadakaamán, recorded by Francisco Javier Clavijero from the work of the missionaries Barco and Ventura, which has been lost.[3]
Va-bappà amma-bang miamù,
ma-mang-à-juà huit maja tegem:
Amat-ma-thadabajuà ucuem:
Kem-mu-juà amma-bang vahi-mang amat-à-nang la-uahim.
Teguap ibang gual gùieng-à-vit-à-juà iban-à-nang packagit:
muht-pagijuà abadakegem, machi uayecg-juà packabaya-guem:
Kazet-à-juangamue-gnit-pacum:
guang mayi-acg packabanajam.
Amén.
Phonology
editThe phonology of the Cochimí language is likely[clarification needed] as follows:[4]
Consonants
edit| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | ||||||
| Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | t | tʃ | k | kʷ | ʔ |
| voiced | b | d | ɡ | ||||
| Fricative | s | ʃ[a] | x | xʷ | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
| Approximant | j | w | |||||
- ^ could have been[clarification needed] disputed.
Voiced consonants likely could have been either separate phonemes or allophones of voiceless sounds.
Vowels
edit| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Mid | (e) | (o) |
| Open | a | |
Mid vowels may be alternated with close vowel sounds.
References
edit- ^ a b Golla, Victor. 2011. California Indian Languages, p. 125. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- ^ Hill, Jane H. "Toward a Linguistic Prehistory of the Southwest: "Azteco-Tanoan" and the Arrival of Maize Cultivation." Journal of Anthropological Research, Vol 58, No. 4 (Winter 2002), p. 458
- ^ "Oraciones religiosas cochimí".
- ^ Mixco, Mauricio J. (1978). Cochimí and Proto-Yuman: Lexical and Syntactic Evidence for a New Language Family in Lower California. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. pp. 13–19.