Carib Language

Carib or Kari'nja is a Cariban language spoken by the Kalina people (Caribs) of South America. It is spoken by around 7,400 mostly in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil. The language is currently classified as highly endangered.

Names

The language is known by several names to both its speakers and outsiders. Traditionally it has been known as "Carib" or "Carib proper" in English, after its speakers, called the "Caribs" in English. It is known ''Caribe'' in Spanish, ''Galina'' in French, and ''Karaïeb'' in Dutch. However, the speakers call themselves ''Kalina'' or ''Karìna'' (variously spelled), and call their language ''Karìna auran'' . Other variants include ''Kali'na'', ''Kari'nja, Cariña'', ''Kariña'', ''Kalihna'', ''Kalinya''; other native names include ''Maraworno'' and ''Marworno''.

Classification

Kari'nja is classified as a Cariban language, in the Guianan Carib branch.

Geographic distribution

Due to contact with Kari'nja invaders, some languages have Kari'nja words incorporated into them, despite being Arawakan languages linguistically.
A Carib-based ''lengua generale'' was once used in the old missions of the Oyapock and surrounding regions, apparently surviving at least along the Uaçá tributary into the 20th century.

In Suriname, there is a village called Konomerume which is located near the Wajambo River. With about 349 people living there, a majority identify as ethnically Kari'nja and as for who knows the language, the adults are reported to at least have a decent knowledge of it. Those above the age of 65 use the language as a primary language among the members of the community. Speakers between the ages of 45 and 65 tend to use the language only when speaking with older residents or elder members of their family, while for the most part using the official languages: Dutch and Sranan Tongo. Younger adults between the ages of 20 to 40 for the most part understand the language but do not speak it, and children learn bits about Kari'nja in school.

There is an attempt to revive Carib traditions, including the language, by some of the 500 people of Carib descent in Trinidad.

Dialects

Carib dialects (with number of speakers indicated in parentheses):
*Venezuelan Carib (1000)
*Guyanese Carib (2000)
*Western Surinamese Carib (500)
*Eastern Surinamese and French Guianese Carib (3000)
**Suriname has two dialects of Kari'nja: ''Aretyry'' which is spoken in the west and central parts of the country, and ''Tyrewuju'' which is what the majority of Kari'nja speakers in Suriname use.

Alphabet

The Carib alphabet consists of 15 letters:

a, e, i, j, k, `, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, w, y.

Phonology

In the Kari'nja language, there are four syllable patterns: V, CV, VC, CVC; C standing for consonants while V means a vowel. Regarding phonemes, consonants are divided into two groups: obstruents (voiceless stops—p, t, k) and resonants (voiced stops—b, d, g, s).

Kari'nja has a typical 6 vowel system after *ô merged with *o, being ''a e i o u ï.'' Compared to past Kari'nja, the modern day Kari'nja has replaced the ''e'' in many words to ''o''.

Allophones for /r w t/ include sounds as ½ β,v tʃ /s/ before /i/ may be pronounced as ƒ /n/ before a consonant may be pronounced as ‹and also ²elsewhere. Another sound, ranging ~x often occurs before a voiced or voiceless consonant, and succeeding a vowel, it can also be an allophone of /Ê”/.

Grammar

There are 17 particles within Kari'nja which include the ''ky-'' prefix and the ''-ng'' suffix.

Vocabulary

All four dialects of Kari'nja have loan words from the primary language of the area (Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana). For example, the Kari'nja spoken in Suriname borrows words from Dutch and Sranantongo.

Examples

Some of the words show instances in which the ''e'' has been replaced with ''o'' in present-day Kari'nja. The two statements beneath the singular words show examples of two suffixes.

References

External links

Ka'lina (Carib) Vocabulary List
(from the World Loanword Database)
Audio resources from the MPI-PL archive for linguistic resources, which origin from data collected by dr. Berend Hoff in the period 1955-1965

How to count in Kali’na
* A video of someone speaking Kari'nja is also availabl
here


Endangered Languages Kari'nja profile

Kari'nja main clauses vs nominalized phrases

Formal Teaching of Kari'nja

Carib Phonology
* The Carib Language
* ELAR archive o
Kari'nja Dictionary and Video Documentation

De'kwana
(Intercontinental Dictionary Series)

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Indigenous languages of the South American Northeast
Languages of French Guiana
Languages of Guyana
Languages of Suriname
Languages of Venezuela
Languages of Brazil
Languages of Trinidad and Tobago
Languages of Grenada
Indigenous languages of the Caribbean