Yucuna and Cabiyarí affixes in Carapana, Tatuyo, Wáimaja, and Yurutí

Summary

Affix function number of borrowed affixes

Description

Information and examples are from Metzger (1998). This form also exists in a number of other South American languages, but the borrowing scenario for the Eastern Tucanoan languages Carapana, Tatuyo, Wáimaja, and Yurutí is quite clear: no other Eastern Tucanoan languages have it, but it is old in Arawakan. Examples below are from Carapana.

1 multifunctional prefix

  • ka- ‘deictic specifier or marker of specificity’, e.g. ka-pakɨ ‘the/that father (the one referred to previously)’, ka-bero ‘after the/that time (the time referred to previously)’