Kambiwá language
Kambiwá (a.k.a. Cambioá) is an extinct unclassified language of Brazil. A couple dozen words were collected by Wilbur Pickering during the 1960s from two people living in Barreira, Petrolândia, Pernambuco. However, by that time the language had become extinct by then.[1]
| Kambiwá | |
|---|---|
| Cambioá | |
| Native to | Brazil |
| Region | Petrolândia, Pernambuco |
| Extinct | early 20th century |
unclassified | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | xbw |
| Glottolog | kamb1239 |
Classification
Apart from two apparent borrowings, none of the words are relatable to known languages. Loukotka (1968) characterized the language as unclassifiable due to lack of data.[2]
Vocabulary
In 1961, two word lists of Kambiwá were collected by Wilbur Pickering from elderly rememberers in Barreira, Petrolândia, Pernambuco. The word lists are published in Meader (1978).[1]
Word list recorded from Manoel de Souza:
Portuguese gloss
(original)English gloss
(translated)Kambiwá bebê indígena indigenous baby ˈkɔ́lúmì fogo fire ˈtóὶ fumo smoke ˈpɔ́ṛ̃ùi mulher woman ˈšíˈtúrù cachimbo smoking pipe ˈkákwì / ˈkwákwì gado cattle ˈkǫ́ną̀ homem branco (estrangeiro) white man (stranger) ˈtš̭yářίtš̭yà negro black man tãˑˈkážúpì ovelha sheep ˈtyápɔsεřε̨ peba drink ˈr̃úpʌ̨̀ų̀ porco-do-mato collared peccary
(Pecari tajacu)ˈtų́pàřà raposa fox ˈfɔ́iàsà tamanduá tamandua ˈfílípį̀ tatu-bola Brazilian three-banded armadillo
(Tolypeutes tricinctus)ˈkʌ̨́ñíkį̀
Word list recorded from an elderly man named Tenoro:
Portuguese gloss
(original)English gloss
(translated)Kambiwá fogo fire břázádò fumo smoke pą̃ˈ húì abelha bee ˈkóìm água corrente running water bibi / ε bebida alcoólica indígena
feita de jurema-pretaindigenous liquor made from black jurema
(Mimosa tenuiflora)ʌ̨́žúˈkà bebida alcoólica indígena
feita de muriciindigenous liquor made from murici
(Byrsonima crassifolia)álúˈà besta beast ˈtš̭yápàřú homem branco white man ˈnεkřu ovelha sheep púsέˈrὲ̨ peba six-banded armadillo
(Euphractus sexcinctus)ˈgwášínì porco-do-mato collared peccary
(Pecari tajacu)pǫį veado deer ˈgwą́wų̀
Kambiwá words provided by both informants differ from each other:
Portuguese English Manoel de Souza Tenoro fogo fire ˈtóὶ břázádò (loanword?) fumo smoke ˈpɔ́ṛ̃ùi pą̃ˈ húì ovelha sheep ˈtyápɔsεřε̨ púsέˈrὲ̨ porco-do-mato peccary ˈtų́pàřà pǫį
References
- Meader, Robert E. (1978). Indios do Nordeste: Levantamento sobre os remanescentes tribais do nordeste brasileiro (in Portuguese). Brasilia: SIL International.
- Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
- Meader, R. E. 1978. Indios do nordeste. Levantamento sobre os remanescentes tribais do nordeste brasileiro. SIL Internacional. pp 65–92.
- Fabre, Alain (2005): "Kambiwá" (Diccionario etnolingüístico y guía bibliográfica de los pueblos indígenas sudamericanos)