Xocó language

Not to be confused with Xukuru language or Choco languages.

Xocó (Chocó, Shokó) is a dead and poorly attested language or languages of Brazil that is not known to be related to other languages. It is known from three populations: Xokó (Chocó) in Sergipe, Kariri-Xocó (Kariri-Shoko, Cariri-Chocó) in Alagoas, and Xukuru-Kariri (Xucuru-Kariri, Xucuru-Cariri) in Alagoas. It is not clear if these were one language or three. It is only known from a few dozen words from one Kariri-Xoco elder and three Xukuru-Kariri elders in 1961.Rememberers persisted for some time after that.^[2] Xocó proper has only 4 known words.

Xocó
Shoko
Xokó
Native to	Brazil
Region	Sergipe, Alagoas
Ethnicity	Xokó
Extinct	late 20th century[1]
Language family	unclassified
Dialects	Xokó Kariri-Xocó Xukuru-Kariri (not clear if a single language)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	(erroneously subsumed under Karirí-Xocó kzw)
Glottolog	xoco1235  Xoco
Map of the Xocó language.

It was originally spoken along the Piancó River is an area that is now a suburb of Porto Real do Colégio.^[3]

In ISO encoding, the language was conflated with the Kariri family as ISO 639-3 [kzw] 'Karirí-Xocó'; Ethnologue does not indicate if this was a conscious decision. The confusion likely arises from the Kariri community referring to Dzubukuá as Kariri-Xocó.^[4]

Other languages with this name

Xoco, Xukuru, and Kariri are all common generic names in the region. See Kariri languages.

Vocabulary

Pompeu (1958)

Chocó (Xocó) vocabulary collected in Colégio, Alagoas:^[5]

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Chocó
fogo	fire	atsá, tsá
água	water	taká
cachimbo	smoking pipe	pupú
homem	man	mãjikêô

Loukotka (1968) transcribes 'man' as mazyikeːoː.^[3]

Meader (1978)

Five Xukuru-Kariri word lists collected by Menno Kroeker in Alagoas in 1961 are published in Meader (1978).^[6]

Words recorded from an elderly male pajé (shaman) in Porto Real do Colégio:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Xukuru-Kariri
chuva	rain	sèhóιdzˈὲʔà
fumo	smoke	bˈázè
lua	moon	kˈriũavi
mandioca	manioc	gˈrïgɔ
menino	boy	semˈentiais
mulher	woman	spˈikwais
rio	river	oːpˈara
sol	sun	kràšùtˈó
terra	earth	aːtsιhˈi
vento	wind	mə̀núsˈi
batata	potato	dˈódsákà
cachimbo	smoking pipe	catʔokə
Colégio (cidade)	Colégio (city)	simidˈo
deus	God	sõsˈeh
dinheiro	money	mεrεkiˈa
farinha	flour	tˈónà
feijão	bean	nˈódsákà
gado	cattle	krˈazɔ
galinha	chicken	cáːkìʔ
luz	light	kápˈòèr
ovelha	sheep	sábˈòèR
peru	turkey	brεfˈεlia
porco	pig	korˈe
soldado	soldier	òlˈófò

Words recorded from Alfredo Caboquim, a pajé (shaman), and his brother Miguel Caboquim in Fazenda Conta, Palmeira dos Índios, Alagoas:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Xukuru-Kariri
carne de boi	beef	ˈbeiñõ
chuva	rain	šualya
dê-me fogo para o cigarro	Give me fire for the cigarette.	àòšˈínòʔ ìnˈísìà sˈèdàià
lua / moça	moon / girl	seːya
mãe	mother	isá
milho	corn	matˈilya
não (mentira)	no (lie)	eːyo
nariz	nose	nˈəmbi
pai	dad	étfˈὲ
anzol	fish hook	èáyˈɔ̀ / alyɔ (?)
batata	potato	dˈotsakə
bebida de mandioca	manioc drink	gúlížˈɔ̀ (gálížˈɔ̀)
bode	goat	filˈisakə
boi	ox	léfétˈìa
cachorro	dog	it(ə)lˈo
cachorro de brinquedo	toy dog	ìt(ə)lˈó tə̀núnšweˈì
dança indígena	indigenous dance	áʔálˈèndà
deus	God	àʔúdéódályˈà
estrangeiro	foreigner, stranger	kóbˈè
farinha	flour	tititsia
feijão	bean	nˈatsakə
folga dos índios	indigenous holiday	arikulilyˈa / kèːšátíkáˈya (?)
fumando cachimbo	to smoke a pipe	puèpùˈa
galinha	chicken	sˈetˈáduàlyà
gato	cat	atašeškia
índia	indigenous woman	sétsˈòníká
lagarto	lizard	šˈua atˈežo / tˈeyu (?)
mulato	mulatto	mulatι̃nkya
negro	black person	tùpíə̃̀nkyà
padre	father	ĩŋklaˈišoa
(pausa) – considerando as palavras	pause (when thinking of words)	ə̃hə̃
peru	turkey	aotˈisakə
porco	pig	àːlˈé
praia (?)	beach (?)	práiˈà
quarto de homem	men's quarters	subεbˈe
como vai?	How are you?	àkàkˈáumà
vou bem, obrigado	I am fine, thank you.	íkàkˈə́
senhor	sir	ˈĩŋklai
vamos embora	Let's go.	òːšˈóuà
homem mais velho	older man	tošˈa / aošιnə̃ŋklainšoa taškiˈa

Words recorded from an elderly farmer in Fazenda Conta, Palmeira dos Índios, Alagoas:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Xukuru-Kariri
água	water	oiyˈa
carne de boi	beef	aòtˈísiə̀
fogo	fire	tóˈè
aguardente	aguardente	kóšákˈà
bode	goat	sákúlˈὲ, sákúlˈègò
bonito	beautiful	atilišˈĩ
brancos	white people	ə̃́nkláʔˈì
cabelo crespo (de negro)	curly hair (of black people)	tuʔˈĩ
café	coffee	tópˈì
cigarro	cigarette	àlísíˈàx
índio	indigenous man / person	sέtsˈò
mãe de Jesus	mother of Jesus (Virgin Mary)	kwə́ntópˈə̃̀ atoayˈə
negra	black man	(i)atuayˈa
negro	black woman	túpíyˈà
porco	pig	šíə̃̀ntì
tatu	armadillo	rṍmpˈə̀tì

Words recorded from João Candido da Silva, a young farmer in Fazenda Conta, Palmeira dos Índios, Alagoas:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Xukuru-Kariri
fumo	smoke	šíšúˈà
dança	dance	arikurˈi
deus	God	dédùˈá / íŋklàˈíx

Words recorded from José Fermino da Silva of Palmeira dos Índios, Alagoas:

Portuguese gloss (original)	English gloss (translated)	Xukuru-Kariri
água	water	óiyˈàh
fogo para o cigarro	fire for cigarette	tòˈéh asendendisi / tòˈéh pàrə̀ns-ˈíáx
batata	potato	dˈótsákà
branco	white person	kràiʔˈé
caboclo	caboclo	sǽtsˈùx
cachimbo	smoking pipe	pua / pue
deus	God	dèdˈúa
feijão	bean	nˈótsákà
negra	black	kòbˈéh
obrigado	thank you	bèréˈɔ́
pau (claraíba)	claraíba tree	frˈéžɔ̀ìž
pau (d'arco)	Tabebuia tree	paìpˈέ