Palikúr (Brazilian Portuguese: Palicur, French: Palikur) is an Arawakan language of Brazil and French Guiana. Knowledge of French and Portuguese is common, and French Guianese Creole is used as the common language among the tribes in the area and with the local population. Palikúr is considered endangered in French Guiana and vulnerable in Brazil.[2][3]
| Palikúr | |
|---|---|
| Karipuna | |
| Pa'ikwené, Pa'ikwaki | |
| Native to | Brazil, French Guiana |
| Ethnicity | Palikur |
Native speakers | 1,500 (2000–2010)[1] |
Arawakan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | plu |
| Glottolog | pali1279 |
| ELP | Palikur |
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ||
| voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | h | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
| Glide | w | j | ||||
- Plosives in word-final position are heard unreleased as [p̚, t̚, k̚, b̚, d̚, ɡ̚].
- /p/ can be heard as [v] or [β] when before close vowels /i, u/, or within intervocalic positions.
- /t, d, n/ when before front vowels /i, ĩ/ are heard as palatal and post-alveolar sounds [tʃ, dʒ, ɲ].
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i ĩ | u ũ | |
| Mid | e ẽ | o õ | |
| Open | a ã |
- /e, o/ are heard as [ɛ, ɔ] within different positions.
- /a/ is heard as a nasalized central vowel sound [ɐ̃] when preceding a nasal consonant.[4]
Loanwords
Palikúr has several loanwords, many of which are wildlife-related, from the Carib language, including:[5]
| English | Palikúr | Carib |
|---|---|---|
| Sloth | waikuli | waikore |
| Anteater | tamanua | tamaanuwa |
| Giant armadillo | malulaima | manuraimo |
| Paca | urana | urana |
| Agouti | kuʃiwai | akusiwai |
| Peccary | pakira | pakiira |
| Coati | kuwaʃ | kuwasi |
| Otter | saruru | sarooro |
| Squirrel monkey | akarma | akarima |
| Pied tamarin | kusiri | kusiri |
| Spider monkey | kuwata | kuwata |
| Hummingbird | tukusi | tukuʔsi |
| Juruti | wilusi | werusi |
| Thrush | kuwaswi | kurasiwai |
| Southern American bushmaster | urukru | urukuku |
| Tortoise | wajamu | wajaamu |
| Giant Amazonian ants | irakrĩ | irako |
Pronouns
Palikúr has dependent and independent personal pronouns.[5] The verb marks the object by using suffixes, but not the subject, which must appear in the form of a nominal group or as an independent pronoun. This affixation of only the object and not of the subject is linguistically very rare: the norm is the affixation for both or for only the subject. The noun complement is marked by a possessive prefix.[3]
| Palikúr | English | Prefixes Noun, Relation, Subject of Verb | Suffixes Object of verb | Independent Pronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | I | n(u)- | -(u)n | náhu |
| 2sg | you (singular) | pi- | -pi | písu |
| 3msg | he | ri- | -ri | irV |
| 3fsg | she | ru- | -ru | erV |
| 1pl.incl | we (inclusive) | u- | -wi | wísu |
| 1pl.excl. | we (exclusive) | w(a)- | u-su | |
| 2pl | you (plural) | ji- | -ji | jí-su |
| 3pl | they | ri-...-kisV, ru-...-kisV | -rikisV, rukisV | irV-kisV |
References
External links
- Lev, Michael; Stark, Tammy; Chang, Will (2012). "Phonological inventory of Palikúr". The South American Phonological Inventory Database (version 1.1.3 ed.). Berkeley: University of California: Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Digital Resource.