Island Carib
Island Carib was an Arawakan language once spoken in Dominica.
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The Kalinago language, also known as Island Carib and Igneri (Iñeri, Inyeri, etc.), was an Arawakan language historically spoken by the Kalinago of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Kalinago proper became extinct by about 1920 due to population decline and colonial period deportations resulting in language death, but an offshoot survives as Garifuna in Central America.
Despite being known as Island Carib, the language was not closely related to the Carib language of the mainland Caribs. Instead, it appears to have been a development of the Arawakan language spoken by the islands' earlier Igneri inhabitants, which incoming Caribs adopted in the pre-Columbian era. During the French colonial period, Carib men also spoke a Cariban-derived pidgin amongst themselves.
From Wikipedia · Kalinago language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Words in Island Carib
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| person | eieri* | |
| name | iri* | |
| eye | agu* | |
| ear | arigari* | |
| nose | igiri* | |
| tooth | ari* | |
| tongue | yeye* | |
| hand | habu* | |
| blood | bitao* | |
| bone | abu* | |
| skin | ula* | |
| knee | gakorogo* | |
| breast | uri* | |
| liver | bana* | |
| water | tuna | |
| fire | ilemo* | |
| sun | weyeyu* | |
| star | uaruauma* | |
| stone | tebu* | |
| mountain | webo* | |
| tree | arabu* | |
| leaf | bana* | |
| night | ariabu* | |
| dog | auli* | |
| fish | aoto* | |
| one | abana* | |
| two | biama* | |
| I | nuguia* | |
| you | huguia* | |
| we | wagia* |
* in the simplified ASJP transcription
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
Grammar
- MangueOtomanguean85% alike
- Baniwa do IcanaArawakan83% alike
- Yavitero-PareniArawakan83% alike
- GarifunaArawakan82% alike
- YineArawakan82% alike
- MochoMayan81% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · isla1278 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · crb