Reconstruction:Proto-Cariban/kɨwɨ

This Proto-Cariban entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Cariban

Etymology

Perhaps derived from an element *kɨ-, also shared by the alternative constructions *kɨnmô and *kɨku; it is possible that only this first element should actually be reconstructed for Proto-Cariban, with *kɨwɨ, *kɨnmô, and *kɨku being later derivations. However, Meira alternatively suggests that the other forms may themselves be derived from *kɨwɨ.

Pronoun

*kɨwɨ

1. the first-person inclusive dual pronoun; you and I, me and you, the two of us

   Synonyms: *kɨnmô, *kɨku

Inflection

Proto-Cariban personal pronouns

	singular	dual	collective
first person exclusive	*ôwɨ	*apina	*apina
first person inclusive	—	*kɨwɨ, *kɨnmô, *kɨku	*kɨwjamo, *kɨmjamo
second person	*ômô	—	*ômjamo
third person	(use demonstratives)

Derived terms

• *kɨwjamo

 

Possibly also:

• *kɨku
• *kɨnmô

 

Descendants

• Parukotoan:
  • ⇒ Hixkaryana: kàwro
  • Waiwai: kïwï
• Pekodian:
  • ⇒? Bakairí: kurâ
• Venezuelan Cariban:
  • Tamanaku: kiwe
• Ye'kwana: küwü

References

• Meira, Sérgio (2002) “A first comparison of pronominal and demonstrative systems in the Cariban language family”, in Mily Crevels, Simon van de Kerke, Sergio Meira and Hein van der Voort, editors, Current Studies on South American Languages‎^[1], Leiden: Research School of Asian, African, and American Studies (CNWS), Leiden University, →ISBN, pages 255–275
• Gildea, Spike, Doris Payne (2007) “Is Greenberg’s ‘Macro-Carib’ viable?”, in Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi: Ciências Humanas, volume 2, number 2, Belém, pages 19–72
• Meira, Sérgio, Bruna Franchetto (2005) “The southern Cariban languages and the Cariban family”, in International Journal of American Linguistics, volume 71, pages 127–192
• Courtz, Hendrik (2008) A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[2], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, page 310
• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “küwü”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[3], Lyon