Nambikwaran languages

Nambikwaran
Geographic distribution	Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Pará, in Brazil
Linguistic classification	One of the world's primary language families
Subdivisions	Mamaindê Nambikwara Sabanê Lakondê Latundê
Language codes
Glottolog	namb1299

The Nambikwaran languages are a language family of half a dozen languages, all spoken in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil. They have traditionally been considered dialects of a single language, but at least three of them are mutually unintelligible.

The total number of speakers is estimated to be about 1,000, with Nambikwara proper being 80% of that number. Most Nambikwara are monolingual but some young men speak Portuguese. Especially the men of the Sabanê group are trilingual, speaking both Portuguese and Mamainde.

• Mamaindê (250-340)
• Lakondê (1)
• Latundê (19)
• Nambikwara (720)
• Sabanê (3)

The varieties of Mamaindê are often seen as dialects of a single language but are treated as separate Northern Nambikwaran languages by Ethnologue. Sabanê is a single speech community and thus has no dialects, while the Nambikwara language has been described as having eleven.

Genetic relations

Price (1978) proposes a relationship with Kanoê (Kapixaná), but this connection is not widely accepted.

Language contact

Jolkesky (2016) notes that there are lexical similarities with the Aikanã, Irantxe, Itonama, Kanoe, Kwaza, Peba-Yagua, Arawak, Bororo, and Karib language families due to contact.

Varieties

Jolkesky (2016)

Internal classification by Jolkesky (2016):

(† = extinct)

• Nambikwaran
  • Sabane
  • Nambikwara, Northern
    • Guaporé: Mamainde; Negarote; Tawende
    • Roosevelt: Lakonde; Latunde; Tawande
  • Nambikwara, Southern
    • Alantesu: Alantesu; Hahãintesu; Waikisu; Wasusu
    • Halotesu: Halotesu; Kithãulhu; Wakalitesu; Sawentesu
    • Manduka: Hukuntesu; Niyahlosu; Siwaisu
    • Sarare

Proto-language

Proto-Nambikwaran
Proto-Nambiquara
Reconstruction of	Nambikwaran languages

Proto-Nambiquara reconstructions by Price (1978):

Proto-Nambiquara reconstructions by Price (1978)

gloss Proto-Nambikwaran ‘maize, corn’ *ka³yat³ ‘tapir’ *hv³¹ũː¹m ‘moon’ *h'e³¹v³ ‘water (n)’ *na1pə̃³¹ ‘now’ *hi¹n ‘water’ *yaut³ ‘to tie’ *t'ait¹ ‘to walk’ *h'ai² ‘that’ *tei²l ‘here’ *tiː¹ ‘bow’ *pok'³ ‘wing’ *n'əi³C ‘to hit’ *su³l ‘to drink’ *naː² ‘animal’ *ha³no³la³ ‘mouth’ *youː² ‘good’ *məu³li⁴ ‘white’ *pãn³ ‘to play’ *ləuː²n ‘head’ *naik³ ‘hair’ *ĩć³ ‘dog’ *waiː³yvl³ ‘to fall’ *hi² ‘road’ *ha³tẽp³ ‘savannah’ *mãl³ ‘to sing’ *pain³ ‘grass’ *sit³ ‘meat’ *sĩn³ ‘house’ *s'ip³ ‘bark, shell’ *kv³ləu³ ‘to dig’ *'uh³ ‘sky’ *h'əu³p(an⁴) ‘to smell’ *nh'õn³ ‘horn’ *na³ ‘rain’ *ha³mə̃i³ ‘ashes’ *Cv³nõn³ ‘snake’ *t'ep³ ‘to scratch’ *kɨn² ‘to eat’ *yain³ ‘long’ *ləː² ‘heart’ *yv³lã¹k ‘string’ *ẽp³ ‘string’ *nu² ‘to run’ *hip³ ‘to chop’ *tau³ ‘child’ *mə̃ić³ ‘to give’ *õː¹ ‘to lie (down)’ *ć'aː¹ ‘tooth’ *wiː³ ‘day’ *lãn²ti³ ‘two’ *p'aː¹l(in¹) ‘to sleep’ *ha³mũ³n'i² ‘he’ *pai³ ‘his’ *na² ‘to rub’ *lɨ¹nɨ³ ‘to listen’ *ain³ ‘I’ *t'ai²l ‘my’ *t'a² ‘knife’ *yu³l ‘to speak’ *sɨ¹ ‘beans’ *ka³mat³ ‘liver’ *p'i⁴l ‘arrow’ *hauːt'¹ ‘flower’ *yãuć³ ‘fire’ *yat² ‘leaf’ *ha⁴ćeih³ ‘leaf’ *n'ãn'⁴ ‘cold’ *liː² ‘fog’ *wi³Ca² ‘tobacco’ *h'əić³ ‘fat’ *pa³nẽit¹ ‘man’ *en³t' ‘to swell’ *wa⁴kaː³n ‘knee’ *kat'³ ‘to throw’ *ta⁴naː¹m ‘there’ *ti⁴paː³t ‘firewood’ *(ha³)ne¹ ‘to clean’ *pəuː¹t ‘to clean’ *han³ ‘tongue’ *pəi³l ‘smooth’ *wa³suː³ ‘worm’ *yõ³yõ³C ‘far’ *uː²l ‘monkey’ *huć³ ‘mother’ *na²C ‘hand’ *pik'² ‘left hand’ *wãt³ ‘husband’ *wei³ćãi¹ ‘to kill’ *hãːn³ ‘forest’ *ća³w'əin³ ‘to bite’ *ĩː³m ‘woman’ *(ha³)t'eh³ ‘to swim’ *həup² ‘nose’ *a⁴miː³ć ‘night’ *ka³na³C ‘to see’ *ẽː²p ‘eye’ *ei³ka³ ‘jaguar’ *ya³na¹l ‘where’ *pai¹ ‘ear’ *n'a⁴ ‘bone’ *soh³ ‘egg’ *nau³ ‘father’ *wãi¹ ‘father’ *mĩː³n ‘bird’ *ai³k' ‘tree, stick’ *ha³piː³ć ‘foot’ *yu³k' ‘stone’ *t'a³pa³l ‘to hold’ *hi³ ‘breast’ *nũn⁴k ‘fish’ *h'ain³ ‘feather’ *w'əit¹ ‘little’ *ći³qi⁴hn ‘leg’ *nəi²k ‘heavy’ *sa³t'ei¹ ‘louse’ *ka³nãip¹ni³ ‘black’ *(ta³)ton³ ‘pull’ *sĩn³ćouː¹ ‘when’ *na³ ‘what’ *Ca¹tei² ‘to burn’ *thəp⁴ ‘hot’ *mãn² ‘round’ *ma³tũ³ma³tũn³ ‘straight’ *wain³ ‘to laugh’ *kãm³li¹ ‘spit’ *ka²sip¹ ‘dry season’ *ka³məi³kəu³n ‘dry’ *lon¹ ‘seed’ *kɨ⁴ ‘to sit’ *yauː² ‘dirty’ *n'aː¹ć'iː³ ‘fear’ *sup³l ‘earth’ *k'ĩp³ ‘earth’ *nu³ ‘crooked’ *ta³ko³ta³kon³ ‘guts’ *ka³nai¹ ‘one’ *ka³naː³ka⁴(nat³) ‘fingernail, claw’ *kai³l ‘achiote’ *top³ ‘old’ *tĩn³ ‘wind’ *'it³ ‘green’ *sa³t'əiː³sa³i'əin³ ‘red’ *həi³n ‘to come’ *mãː² ‘to live’ *ka³t'en³ ‘to fly’ *h'in³ ‘you’ *w'ai²n ‘your’ *mã⁴ ‘to return’ *wam²l ‘to vomit’ *lop³

Bibliography

• Costa, Januacele Francisca da; W. Leo M. Wetzels. 2008. Proto-Nambikwara Sound Structure. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
• Araujo, G. A. (2004). A Grammar of Sabanê: A Nambikwaran Language. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 94. Utrecht: LOT.
• Gomes, M. A. C. F. (1991). Dicionário Mamaindé-Português/Português-Mamaindé. Cuiabá: SIL.
• Eberhard, David M. (2009). Mamaindê Grammar: a Northern Nambikwara language and its cultural context. LOT publications. ISBN 978-94-6093-012-6.
• Kroeker, M. H. (1996). Dicionário escolar bilingüe Nambikuara-Português, Português-Nambikuara. Porto Velho: SIL.
• Price, D. P. (1978). The Nambiquara Linguistic Family. Anthropological Linguistics 20:14-37.