Karankawa Language
Karankawa /kəˈræŋkəwə/ is the extinct, unclassified language of the Texas coast, where the Karankawa people migrated between the mainland and the barrier islands.
It was not closely related to other known languages in the area, many of which are also poorly attested, and may have been a language isolate. A couple hundred words are preserved, collected in 1698, 1720, and 1828; in the 1880s, three lists were collected from non-Karankawa who knew some words.
| Karankawa | |
|---|---|
| Keles | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Texas coast, from Galveston Island to Corpus Christi |
| Ethnicity | Karankawa people |
| Extinct | 1858 |
unclassified | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | zkk |
zkk | |
| Glottolog | kara1289 |
 Pre-contact distribution of the Karankawa language, lacking the historical inclusion of the Houston-Galveston area | |
Karankawa has sometimes been included with neighboring languages in a Coahuiltecan family, but that is now thought to be spurious. [citation needed]
Phonology
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nor. | lab. | ||||||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | kʷ | ʔ | |
| voiced | b | d | ɡ | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | |||||
| Affricate | ts | tʃ | |||||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | x | h | |||
| Approximant | w | l | j | ||||
There were also possible lateral affricate sounds [tɬ, dɮ] which were represented as
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | ə | o oː |
| Open | a aː |
Vocabulary
Though only a few hundred words of the Karankawa language are preserved, the following are selected words recorded by Albert Gatschet, a late Victorian anthropologist and linguist, referenced from the last fluent speakers of the language.
- Nāt’sa "one", counted on the right pinky
- Haikia "two" or "second", counted on the right ring finger
- Kaxayi "three", counted on the right middle finger
- Hayo hak(ě)n "four", or "fourth", counted on the right index finger
- Do-aḍ "Four", or "fourth", literally "deer", counted on the right index finger
- Nāt’sa Behema, "five" or "fifth", literally "First Father", counted on the right thumb
- Hayo Haikia, "Six" or "Sixth", literally "Three two", counted on the left pinky
- Haikia Nāt’sa, "Seven" or "Seventh", literally "Second one", counted on left ring finger
- Haikia Behema, "Eight" or "Eighth", literally "Second father", counted on left middle finger
- Haikia Do-aḍ, "Nine" or "Ninth", literally "Second deer", counted on the left index finger
- (Do-aḍ) Habe "Ten" or "Tenth", literally "Ten(th deer)", counted on the left thumb
- Kaup(ě)n "Speak"
- Yamawe "Man"
- Glo-essen/Glos(ě)n "Boy"
- Kaninma "Woman" or "Mother"
- Ka'da "Girl"
- Glle-i "Water"
- Ahayika "Friend"
- Dōwal "Sun"
- Kiss "Dog"
- Peka "White"
- Pal/Ma "Black"
- Aknamus "Eat"
- Tcha "See"
- Ye "Go" or "Walk"
Swanton (1940)
The following vocabulary list of Karankawa is from John Swanton (1940).
gloss Karankawa about to tcápn acorn kalac adze kusila affectionate mutá after a while messús all the time mucawáta alligator hókso also ténno always mucawáta and ténno angry, to be very napé-nai naxerúaxa pára arm (forearm) se-cotan arm (upper) se-imahaha arrow demo ashes ahona at present messús ax kialn babe kwā́n bad tcúta ball for musket kecila-demuks barrel búdel basin koje ön beads kujahin beans kudec bear ǒ's beef didot, tíkĕmai behold, to tcá belly a-luk big kunin bird kúdn bird, a common tekotsen biscuit kuejam bison didot black ma, pál blue tsō'l board kuaham boat awán, elucun bow, a gái, kruin bowl kok boy kolohs, níktam bread kwiáṃ bread, fresh kokam break, to táhama breast kanín brush tesselénia bucket of tin koláme build (a fire), to kosáta building bá-ak, kaham bull didot by and by messús cabin bá-ak, kaham calf koco calico kádla calumet kadiol camp bá-ak, kaham can tá cannon etjam canoe awā́n, elucun, uahahim capture, to haítn cask kaa-konam cat gáta catch, to haítn cattle didot cherish, to ka chicken kúdn, wólya chief hálba child kwā́n chin em-imian hanéna cigarette káhe, swénas circular lá-akum cloth kwíss clothing a-lams cold delin come! éwē come, to gás come here! éwē gás, wána come quick! éwē converse, to kaúpn cord bacina com kwiáṃ cow, a nen, didot cowhorn teke-dolan crane kĕdō'd, koln curlew kwojol dangerous tcúta dart kusila day bákta dead mál dear mutá deer dóatn, tekomandotsen deerskin kesul desire, to tá disk-shaped lá-akum do, to kosáta dog kec don't cry! ăhămmic dress kádla, kwíss drink, to kouaen duck kue, medá-u dugout awā́n eagle balsehe eat, to aknámas egg dáhome eight haíkia exhausted kwá-al eye em-ikus eyebrows im-lahue fabric kwíss fall, to amóak far off nyá wól farewell! atcáta father béhema feathers hamdolok female nen fine plá finger étsma fire húmhe, kwátci, kwoilesem fire-pot koko fire-sticks akta demaje fish áṃ, kiles fish-hook kusila five nā́tsa flagon kedika flour ámhătn fly, a kamej foot eham, kékeya four hayo French, the kalbasska friend aháyika get away! ăhắmmic gimlet klani girl kā́da give, to báwûs glass kusila glassware kujahin globiform lá-akum go, to gás, yé go away! wána going to tcápn gone budáma good kuìst-baha, plá good bye! atcáta goose lá-ak gown kádla, kwíss grass awátcxol great yá-an grindstone hama grow, to kwā́n gun kisulp gunpowder kalmel hair ekia aikui hand étsma handsome hamála harpoon kusila hasten, to kóta, xankéye hat kalama hatchet matcíta hate, to matákia he tál head en-okea healthy klabán heart láhama hen kúdn, wólya hog tapcewá horn of cow teke-dolan horse kanueüm, kuwáyi house bá-ak, kaham hungry ámel hurry, to kóta, xankéye hurt, to kassítcuwakn hush ăhắmmic hut bá-ak, kaham I náyi injure, to kassítcuwakn it tál jug kahan jump, to éṃ kettle kukujol kill, to ahúk kitten gáta knee en-klas knife bekekomb, kusila, silekáyi know, to kúmna, kwáss large yá-an lark kutsen laugh, to kaíta leg em-anpok let us go! wána lie down, to wú-ak little kwā́n, níktam lodge bá-ak, kaham long wól long ago upāt love, to ka maize kwiáṃ make, to káhawan, kosáta man ahaks, tecoyu, úci, yámawe manufacture, to káhawan marry, to mawída mast kesul mat didaham me náyi metal kusila milk tesnakwáya mine náyi molasses téskaus moon a-uil mosquito gắ mother kanín mouth emi-akwoi much wól music yŏ'ta musket-ball kecila-demuks my náyi neck em-sebek needle aguíya, besehena nice plá nine haíkia no! kóṃ nose em-ai aluak not kóṃ now acáhak oak-apple ēkskitula obnoxious tcúta octopus áṃ one nā́tsa oyster dắ paddle em-luajem pail kok pain, to cause kassítcuwakn pan, frying- koláme paper imetes akuam past budáma peas kudec pelican ōkman perform, to kosáta pickax kialn pig kalbasska, madóna pimento kesesmai pin besehena pinnacle kesesmai pipe kadiol pistol ka ai kuan plaice ampaj plate made of tin kesila-konan plenty of wól plover sebe potato yám pound, to kássig powerful wól prairie chicken kúdn, wólya presently acáhak pretty hamála produce, to káhawan push, to dán quick, to come xankéye rain wí-asn read, to gwá red tamóyika return, to gás round lá-akum run, to xankéye, tólos saber teheye sail a-lams salt dem, ketac sand kohon satisfaction, expression of baa say, to kaúpn scat! ăhămmic see, to tcá serpent aúd seven haíkia, nā́tsa sew, to teksilea sexual organs, male em-ibak she tál ship awā́n, elucun shirt gusgáma shoe kameplan shoot, to ódn shoulder em-sehota sick a-eas, kwátco side to side, to pass from lon sit, to háka sit down! háka six haíkia, háyo skin of deer kesul skip, to éṃ sleep, to ĭṃ, neianana small kwā́n smoke ánawan snake aúd soon messús Spaniards kahamkeami speak, to gaxiamétĕt, kaúpn stag tekomandotsen stand, to yétso stomach a-luk strike, to gá-an strong wól suck, to énno sugar téskaus sun klos, dóowal sweet téskaus swim, to nótawa talk, to kaúpn tall yá-an tar kuja tattooings bacenana tear, to táhama teat kanín tell, to kaúpn ten hábe textile kwíss that tál there nyá thigh em-edal thine áwa this tál thou áwa three kaxáyi thy áwa tired kwá-al tobacco a-kanan, káhe, dé tongue a-lean Tonkawa Indian Tcankáya too ténno tooth dolonakin, é tooth-brush tesselénia touch, to tcaútawal tree akwiní turtle, a large green haítnlokn two haíkia understand, to kúmna useful plá vermilion kadüm vessel awā́n, elucun walk, to shak, yé wall kesul want, to tá water klai, komkom water-hen uapa weep, to owíya well klabán where? mudá whiskey labá-i whistle, to áksōl white péka wicked tcúta wide yá-an will tcápn wind bá, eta wine klebö wish, to tá wolf kec woman, a acade wood kesul work, to takína yes ihié-ă yesterday tuwámka yonder nyá you áwa young of an animal kwā́n youngster níktam
References
Wiktionary has a word list at Appendix:Karankawa word list
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