Kambiwá (a.k.a. Cambioá) is an extinct unclassified language of Brazil. A couple dozen words were collected by Wilbur Pickering during the 1960s from two people living in Barreira, Petrolândia, Pernambuco. However, by that time the language had become extinct.[1]

Kambiwá
Cambioá
Native toBrazil
RegionPetrolândia, Pernambuco
Extinctearly 20th century
unclassified
Language codes
ISO 639-3xbw
Glottologkamb1239

Classification

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Apart from two apparent borrowings, none of the words are relatable to known languages. Loukotka (1968) characterized the language as unclassifiable due to lack of data.[2]

Vocabulary

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In 1961, two word lists of Kambiwá were collected by Wilbur Pickering from elderly rememberers in Barreira, Petrolândia, Pernambuco. The word lists are published in Meader (1978).[1]

Word list recorded from Manoel de Souza:

Portuguese gloss
(original)
English gloss
(translated)
Kambiwá
bebê indígena indigenous baby ˈkɔ́lúmì
fogo fire ˈtóὶ
fumo smoke ˈpɔ́ṛ̃ùi
mulher woman ˈšíˈtúrù
cachimbo smoking pipe ˈkákwì / ˈkwákwì
gado cattle ˈkǫ́ną̀
homem branco (estrangeiro) white man (stranger) ˈtš̭yářίtš̭yà
negro black man tãˑˈkážúpì
ovelha sheep ˈtyápɔsεřε̨
peba drink ˈr̃úpʌ̨̀ų̀
porco-do-mato collared peccary
(Pecari tajacu)
ˈtų́pàřà
raposa fox ˈfɔ́iàsà
tamanduá tamandua ˈfílípį̀
tatu-bola Brazilian three-banded armadillo
(Tolypeutes tricinctus)
ˈkʌ̨́ñíkį̀


Word list recorded from an elderly man named Tenoro:

Portuguese gloss
(original)
English gloss
(translated)
Kambiwá
fogo fire břázádò
fumo smoke pą̃ˈ húì
abelha bee ˈkóìm
água corrente running water bibi / ε
bebida alcoólica indígena
feita de jurema-preta
indigenous liquor made from black jurema
(Mimosa tenuiflora)
ʌ̨́žúˈkà
bebida alcoólica indígena
feita de murici
indigenous liquor made from murici
(Byrsonima crassifolia)
álúˈà
besta beast ˈtš̭yápàřú
homem branco white man ˈnεkřu
ovelha sheep púsέˈrὲ̨
peba six-banded armadillo
(Euphractus sexcinctus)
ˈgwášínì
porco-do-mato collared peccary
(Pecari tajacu)
pǫį
veado deer ˈgwą́wų̀


Kambiwá words provided by each informant that differ from each other:

Portuguese English Manoel de Souza Tenoro
fogo fire ˈtóὶ břázádò (loanword?)
fumo smoke ˈpɔ́ṛ̃ùi pą̃ˈ húì
ovelha sheep ˈtyápɔsεřε̨ púsέˈrὲ̨
porco-do-mato peccary ˈtų́pàřà pǫį

References

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  1. ^ a b Meader, Robert E. (1978). Indios do Nordeste: Levantamento sobre os remanescentes tribais do nordeste brasileiro (in Portuguese). Brasilia: SIL International.
  2. ^ Loukotka, Čestmír (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center.