Tinigua language

Tinigua (Tiniguas) is an endangered Tiniguan language spoken in Colombia which used to form a small language family with the now extinct Pamigua language.

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Quick Facts Native to, Region ...

Tinigua
Tiniguas
Native to	Colombia
Region	Meta Department, Colombia; Serranía de la Macarena, Colombia
Ethnicity	(undated figure of 1)^[1]
Native speakers	1 (2019)^[1]
Language family	Tiniguan Tinigua
Language codes
ISO 639-3	`tit`
Glottolog	`tini1245`
ELP	Tinigua

Final speakers

Summarize

Perspective

As of 2000, Tinigua had only two remaining speakers, Sixto Muñoz (Tinigua name: Sɨsɨthio ‘knife’) and his brother, Criterio. Criterio died around 2005, leaving behind Sixto as the last remaining speaker of Tinigua.^[2] 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.^[3]^: 1029 They lived in Meta Department, between the Upper Guayabero and Yari rivers.^[4]

Muñoz also speaks Spanish and is thought to have been born somewhere from 1924-1929. He has five children, but he chose not to teach them Tinigua because they would not have any use for it.^[5]

Below is a comparison of Tinigua forms elicited from Sixto Muñoz in 2019 compared with Tinigua and Pamigua words recorded in Castellví (1940).^[6]^[3]

More information English gloss, Pamigua (Castellví) ...

English gloss	Tinigua (Sixto Muñoz)	Tinigua (Castellví)	Pamigua (Castellví)
eye	sıt̵́i	zőti, zɘ̀ti	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
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

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Final speakers

References

Further reading

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