Betoi language

Last updated
Betoi
Jirara
Native to Venezuela
Region Orinoco Llanos
Extinct mid 19th century
Betoi–Saliban?
  • Betoi
Dialects
  • Situfa
  • Airico
  • Lolaca
  • Jirara
  • Betoi
  • Ele
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
qtd
Glottolog beto1236

Betoi (Betoy) or Betoi-Jirara is an extinct language of Colombia and Venezuela, south of the Apure River near the modern border with Colombia. The names Betoi and Jirara are those of two of its peoples/dialects; the language proper has no known name. At contact, Betoi was a local lingua franca spoken between the Uribante and Sarare rivers and along the Arauca. Enough was recorded for a brief grammatical monograph to be written (Zamponi 2003).

Contents

Classification

Betoi is generally seen as an isolate, though Kaufman (2007) included it in Macro-Paesan.

Zamponi (2017) finds enough lexical resemblances between Betoi and the Saliban languages to conclude that a genealogical relationship is plausible. [1]

Varieties

Historically a dialect cluster, varieties include Betoi, Jirara, Situfa, Ayrico, Ele, Lucalia, Jabúe, Arauca, Quilifay, Anabali, Lolaca, and Atabaca. [2]

Below is a full list of Betoi varieties listed by Loukotka (1968), including names of unattested varieties. [3]

Lexicon

Lexicon of Betoi compiled by Zamponi (2003) from various sources: [4]

Nouns

English glossBetoiNotes
earth (soil)dafibú, umena
countryajabó
skyteo-tuculit. ‘house of the sun’
sunteo, theo, teo-umasoilit. ‘sun-man’
moonteó-rolit. ‘sun-woman’
starsilicó
Pleiades ucasú, ocasú
windfafuala
lightningbuní
rainofacú
waterocú, ocudú, oculiba
lakeocú= ‘water’
stoneinakí
firefútui, futuit
daymunitá
monthteo-ró= ‘moon’
yearucasú, ocasú= ‘Pleiades’
living being (animal, rational being)ubad-, sg. ubadoi, pl. ubadola
manhumas-, umas-, sg. humasoi, pl. humasola
womanro, pl. roducajaná
monkeysorroy
jaguarufi
birdcosiú, cusí
duckcuiviví
henfocará
k.o. mosquitosumí
fishdujiducaduca may be the demonstrative enclitic ‘this’
ants (collective)irruqui
cocktoteleló
honeyalalaba
forestquaja, ucaca-ajaboajabo = ‘country’
polypody (k.o. fern)sorroy umucosólit. ‘hand of monkey’
maizeromú
bodyejebosi
headosacá
hairubuca
foreheadafubá
faceafucá
eyeufonibá
noseiusaca
mouthafubó
lipafubé
toothoxoki
tongueinecá
throatemalafadá
armdafucá
handumucosó, umocoso
fingerumucurrú
leg, footemocá
thighuduba
heartijiba
bellyutucú
shouldertelisá
fatherbabí, babbí
mothermamá
ancestorsojabolápl.
housetucú, pl. tucujaná
roadmaná
needs (requirements)duiji
spirit, devilmemelú
GodDiosó< Spanish Dios
Father, missionaryBabí= ‘father’
devilmemelú-fofeilit. ‘bad spirit’
willojaca, ajaca

Verbs

English glossBetoiNotes
advisebabasa-, o- -eba-eba = ‘make, do’
assailrolea-
bathedo-
be (location verb (?) and auxiliary)-u
be (copula)aj-
be dismayed (or astonished)ijuca- -umaItalian: ‘essere sbigottito’
be goodmamiaj-mamí = ‘well’
be not (copula and auxiliary)re- (sg.) ~ ref- (pl.)
be obedientobai- -omucaaj-
be pitifuldusucaaj-
bumfafole-
callcofa-
come-usa
deceive-olea, -oloa
die-iju, rijubi-
fillanu- -eba-eba = ‘make, do’
forgive-usuca= ‘pay’
give-umua
go-anu
help-ausu
illuminatetulu- -eba-eba = ‘make, do’
look forbe-, cula- -atu
make, do-ebá, sa-
I must beat yourobarriabarrarráácajú
pay-usuca= ‘forgive’
don’t permitjitebometú
preventtu-
revere-omea
speak, sayfaá-
stealrááquirra-
take awaycumi-
take care of-inefá
thinko- -acaa

Adverbs

English glossBetoiNotes
beforehandumarrá
nowmaidacasímaida ‘today’
soon, alreadymaydaytú, maydaitúmaida ‘today’
afterwards, laterlojenumanuma may be the root ‘all’
yesterdayvita
todaymaidda, maida
another timejajamú
there
downumenanú= ‘on earth’
everywhereubujenumanuma may be the root ‘all’
wheredía
from wherediatú
wellmamí
little by littlecaibanú
casuallyfoirreojanudá
somai, may
little, a bitbijeasi
sufficientlyfedanú
howday= ‘what, ?how much’
verynaisú

Pronouns

English glossBetoiNotes
Irau
you (sg.)uju
he, she, ityairi
weraufisucá
you (pl.)ujurrola
theyyarola
this one (m.)irrí
this one (f.)
this one (n.)ijé
the same oneoanú= ‘as’
who (sg. m.) (interrogative and relative)madoi
who (sg. f.) (interrogative and relative)mado
what, which, that (sg. n.) (interrogative and relative)majaduca
whatday= ‘how, ?how much’

Other parts of speech

English glossBetoiNotes
this-ducádemonstrative clitic?
whitecocosiajo
sweetolisa
badfofei, fofej, fofey
wise, prudentculasa
othered-, sg. edoi, pl. edolatu
next, comingedasu
oneedojojoi
twoedoi= ‘other’
threeibutú= ‘and’
fouributú-edojojoilit. ‘and/three one’
fiverumucosolit. ‘my hand’
manymaitolá
all-numa, sg. bagenuma, pl. bolanuma
how muchdaitolápl.
aboveubo
insidetoli
andibutú
butuita
becauseday
asoanu= ‘the same one’
noebamucá
true!tugaday
how did this happen?day día quéday = ‘what, how, ?how much’; día ‘where’, -qué = ‘interrogative’
excl. of wonderayaddi
excl. of admirationódique
excl. of desire and uncertaintyodijá
excl. of fearodifarracá
excl. of griefai asidí
interrogative marker-quéday = ‘what, how, ?how much’; -qué = ‘interrogative’
tag-question markerdayqué
moreoverfarrocafada, farrocafeda

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References

  1. Zamponi, Raoul (2017). Betoi-Jirara, Sáliban, and Hod i: Relationships among Three Linguistic Lineages of the Mid-Orinoco Region. Anthropological Linguistics, Volume 59, Number 3, Fall 2017, pp. 263-321.
  2. Epps, Patience; Michael, Lev, eds. (2023). Amazonian Languages: Language Isolates. Volume I: Aikanã to Kandozi-Chapra. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. ISBN   978-3-11-041940-5.
  3. Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages . Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.
  4. Zamponi, Raoul. 2003. Betoi. Languages of the World, 428. München: Lincom Europa.

Bibliography