Kaingang language explained

Kaingang
Nativename:kanhgág
States:Brazil
Region:São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul
Ethnicity:Kaingang people
Speakers:18,000
Date:1989
Ref:e26
Familycolor:American
Fam1:Macro-Jê
Fam2:
Fam3:Jê of Paraná
Fam4:Southern Jê
Lc1:kgp
Ld1:Kaingang
Lc2:zkp
Ld2:São Paulo Kaingáng
Linglist:qr7
Lingname:Wayaná (Guayaná)
Glotto:kain1271
Glottorefname:Kaingangic

The Kaingang language (also spelled Kaingáng) is a Southern Jê language (, Macro-Jê) spoken by the Kaingang people of southern Brazil.[1] The Kaingang nation has about 30,000 people, and about 60–65% speak the language. Most also speak Portuguese.

Overview

The Kaingang language is a member of the family, the largest language family in the Macro-Jê stock. The Kaingang territory occupies the modern states of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul (and, until the beginning of the 20th century, Misiones, Argentina). Today they live in around 30 indigenous lands (similar to Native American reservations), especially in Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná.

In the 1960s, because of a missionary interest (conducted by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL)), the language was studied by Ursula Wiesemann.[2]

Names

The Kaingang and Xokleng were previously considered a single ethnicity, which went by a number of names, including Amhó, Dorin, Gualachi, Chiqui, Ingain, Botocudo, Ivitorocái (= Amho), Kamé, Kayurukré, Tain (= Ingain), Taven. Some of these may have been tribal names; others were exonyms. Those living along the coast at the time of the Conquest were called Guayaná, and are considered to be the ancestors of the Kaingang.[3] It is unknown to what extent the names might have corresponded to dialectal differences.

Dialects

Loukotka (1968)

Loukotka (1968) lists the following dialects of Kaingán and related language varieties.[4]

Mason (1950)

Mason (1950) lists the following classification for the Caingang group of languages:[5]

Mason (1950) also lists the Yabutian languages Aricapú and Yabuti as "possibly Caingang."

Phonology

Consonants

A large number of allophones map to a set of 14 phonemes:[6]

BilabialDental/
Alveolar
PalatalVelarGlottal
Stopwidth=20px style="border-right: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/~pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/~pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/~pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-left: 0;"pronounced as /ink/~pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-right: 0;"pronounced as /ink/width=20px style="border-left: 0;"
Fricativepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

All consonants have varying allophones depending on their position in the word and on the adjacency of nasal vowels:

Vowels

+ Vowel phonemes of KaingangFrontBack
Closepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Close-midpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Open-midpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
pronounced as /link/

Orthography

Wiesemann proposed an alphabet for the language, which is still in use despite some problems. It is based on the Latin script, and consists of fourteen consonants and fourteen vowels, matching the fourteen consonants and fourteen vowels of the Kaingang language.

VowelsConsonants
LetterSound LetterSound
aɑfɸ
áʌgŋ~ɡ
ãɔ̃hh
eejj
éɛkk
ɛ̃mm~b
iinn~d
ĩĩnhɲ~ɟ
oopp
óɔrɹ
uusç
ũũtt
yɤvw
ʌ̃ʔ

There are dictionaries and grammars available for Kaingang. A school was set up in 1969 to teach the Kaingang people to read and write their language. However, the school produced many Kaingang speakers who went back to their reservations to teach others and spread the writing innovations they learned. Only one of the dialects is used as the standard written form, though having the writing system provided a source of pride in the language for the Kaingang people. A Kaingang bible has been published, as well as a dictionary and other publications.

Examples of Kaingang writing can be found on Omniglot.

Grammar

Postpositions

Kaingang makes use of postpositions.

Postpositions are also used to mark subject.

Verbs

Kaingang verbs do not inflect.

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Kaingán language varieties.[7]

gloss Central
Kaingán
Southern
Kaingán
Northern
Kaingán
Eastern
Kaingán
Aweicoma Guayana Amhó
threetaktón tagtong tengtong umarikélko tuktain tektoi
headkrin krim i-krin krim a-kréng aparé aunt-krein kré
eyekané karnä i-kané kanem a-kuná-ma apin-tá am-pán gundón
earningréin ñinkren i-ñengré ningrém a-yomamá-ma aminerá am-engrá nanrá
tonguenoné uné i-ñoná nené a-numá-ma a-mundá nomdá
watergoyo góyo góyo goyo ngoyo-ma pranl kran karat
firepin pén piñ pim pé-ma npai péin pén
sunarán eré irén aram roiñá ará aró
maizeñara ñére géren ñere nghára ñeré ndui ndá
jaguarmin ming mi mim megló-ma chuchí kuchi chuchi
snakepan pan apóne pam poné-ma kundú kundú kundú

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rodrigues , Aryon Dall'Igna . Aryon Rodrigues. Línguas brasileiras. Para o conhecimento das línguas indígenas. 1986. Ed. Loyola. São Paulo. pt.
  2. Book: Wiesemann , Ursula . Die phonologische und grammatische Struktur der Kaingáng-Sprache. registration. 1972. Mouton. The Hague. de.
  3. Enciclopédia dos Povos Indígenas no Brasil - Instituto Socioambiental
  4. Book: Loukotka, Čestmír . Čestmír Loukotka . Classification of South American Indian languages . registration . UCLA Latin American Center . 1968 . Los Angeles.
  5. Book: Mason, John Alden . John Alden Mason . 1950 . The languages of South America . Julian . Steward . Handbook of South American Indians . 6 . 157–317 . Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 143 . Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office.
  6. Jolkesky, M. P. V. (2009). Fonologia e prosódia do Kaingáng falado em Cacique Doble (RS). Anais do XIV SETA - Seminário de Teses em Andamento, 3:675-685. Campinas: Editora do IEL-UNICAMP. (anexo)
  7. Book: Loukotka, Čestmír . Čestmír Loukotka . Classification of South American Indian languages . registration . UCLA Latin American Center . 1968 . Los Angeles.