Tinigua (Tiniguas) is an endangered Tiniguan language spoken in Colombia that used to form a small language family with the now-extinct Pamigua language. It is spoken by only one person.
Name The name "Tinigua" comes from the words 'old' and 'as, like' and thus means 'language of the old'.
Speakers As of 2000, Tinigua had only two remaining speakers, Sixto Muñoz (Tinigua name: ‘knife’) and his brother, Criterio. Criterio died around 2005, leaving behind Sixto as the last remaining speaker of Tinigua. Formerly a resident of the Serranía de la Macarena in Meta Department, Sixto Muñoz currently resides in Jiw village of Barrancón, near the main town of Guaviare Department. There may have been more speakers located elsewhere, as a farmer reportedly met others who spoke the same language as Sixto. They lived in Meta Department, between the Upper Guayabero and Yari rivers.
Muñoz also speaks Spanish and is thought to have been born somewhere from 1924 to 1929. He has five children, but he chose not to teach them Tinigua because they would not have any use for it.
Phonology The following phonological description of Tinigua is tentative due to the scarce documentation of the language. There are likely inaccuracies and missing phonological contrasts.
Vowels +Tinigua vowelsFrontCentralBackCloseMidOpen
Consonants +Tinigua consonantsBilabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalvoicelessvoicedStoplabializedAffricateFricativeNasalApproximant is not attested word-initially and has a limited distribution. and sometimes alternate with each other, but also contrast with each other.
Phonotactics Tinigua syllable structure is typically CV or CVC, where C represents any consonant and V any vowel. CVV structure is due to the phonetic lengthening of vowels word-finally.
Morphology
Noun phrase The noun phrase in Tinigua may contain pronouns, modifiers, quantifiers, and demonstratives, among others, and is structured as follows: +Tinigua noun phrase templatedemonstrativequantifierpossessor/nounmodifier
Nominal morphology Nominal morphology in Tinigua is restricted to classifier and plural-marking endoclitics, the latter of which () may occur outside of the noun phrase, and the associative plural suffix.
The morpheme (also ) is used to mark subject noun phrases in clauses.
Vocabulary
Comparison Below is a comparison of Tinigua forms elicited from Sixto Muñoz in 2019 compared with Tinigua and Pamigua words recorded in Castellví (1940).
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! English gloss !! Tinigua (Sixto Muñoz) !! Tinigua (Castellví) !! Pamigua (Castellví) |- | eye || sɨ́ti || zőti, zə̀ti || sete, xete |- | water || ɲikʷájtʃi || ñikwáiši || nikagé |- | fire || hikʰítsa || ičísa || ekísa |- | woman || ɲísa || ñíza, ñísä || nixtá |- | dog || hanó || xamno, xámiu || xannó |- | jaguar || kʰíɲa ~ tʃíɲa || číña, ǰíña, xiña || xiñaga |- | corn || jóʔhá || t’óka, tióka || xukxá |- | manioc || komáha || xaačá || xoayoa |- | let's go || minahá || manaxǎí || menáxa |- | chili pepper || tsákʰa || ţáxa || saxa 'salt' |- | good || hajohási || ayuxáǐ || ayoxagua ‘good morning’ |- | plantain || mandótʰa || madóxa || mandotá |- | spirit || hamajiéha || pan-kianóso || kinoxá ‘enemy’ |- | man || tsɨtsía || psäţeyá || piksiga |- | five || tsátokʷahá (tsátho-kʷaʔa ‘left.side-hand’) || xopa-kuáxa || saksu-kuaxa |- | eleven || tapásaɲóha || čimatóse-kiésä || čipsé ipa-kiaxi
Swadesh list Below is the 100-word Swadesh list for Tinigua. +Swadesh list for TiniguaNumberGlossTinigua1Ihíkʷa2you (sg.)kázɨ3wehikʷáʔa ~ hikʷáha4thishángi5thathíkʰá6whonɨ́ʔa7whatkaɲígahe ~ kaɲí8nothégʷa (negation particle)9alltʰiána10manyhajusi ~ ajútsɨ ~ ajusi11onekíʔ-je 'to be one, be first'12twohatsajtʃa ~ hátsa13bighajjúko14longhatsɨ́ 'to be long, far, distant'15smallnɨ́o 'to be small'16womanɲísa17mantsɨtsía18personhanoso19fishzɨsóha (pl.)20birdtsɨtsáha (pl.)21doghanú22lousehisía23treekíhi24seedɲihósea25leafkʰiwíha26rootkiʔtʰáha27bark28skinkʷátatsa29fleshhandá ɲisá 30bloodhahájkʰía31bonekʰitʰáh32grease33eggmákʰikʰí34horn35tailmatsíɸʷajtʃa36featherhatsówi37hairzozíha38headjɨéte39eartʃátsɨtoa40eyesɨ́ti41nosekʰízɨsɨ42mouthkíwa43toothjióto44tonguetʰinútsa45claw46footsɨ́kina47kneetʰízɨsa48handkʷáʔana49bellyjamako50neck51breastsjáʔzɨná52heartjihéʔ53livermáʔzɨʔná54(to) drinkjaɲekʷá55eatjiʔú56bitehakʷɨ́57seeɲɨnzɨ́58hearkʰahá59know60sleepɲiná61dieɲimá62killpakʷá63swimɲisɨ́64(to) flyjakʷjní65walkkiwá66comenakú67lie (down)hatʃí68sithútʰjoí69stand70givenahánika71sayjajé hawá (also 'think')72sunɲíɸo73moonhatsɨ́ ɲíɸo74starʋṍsa75waterɲikʷájtʃe76rainhatʰokútʃe77stoneɲitsátsa78sandtʃipawína79earthtowána80cloudhaɲíj natʰí81smokesɨnátʰi82firehikʰítsa83ash84(to) burnkʰaɸʷá85pathnátsɨ86mountain87redhatsambá 'to be red'88greenhasɨtsá 'to be green'89yellowhasaná 'to be yellow'90whitehatsamá91blackhatʃandá 'to be black/dark'92nighthapɨ́jtʃa (also 'late')93hothanzá 'to be hot'94coldhotsɨ́95fullhajítʰo96new97goodhajohási ~ ajohási98round99dryhapawú 'to be dry'100namejawú 'to be called/named'
References
Further reading