# Waikuri language

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This article is about the language group of Mexico. Not to be confused with [[the [Guaicuruan languages](/source/Guaicuruan_languages) or the [Waikerí language](/source/Waiker%C3%AD_language) of South America]].

**Waikuri** (Guaycura, Waicura) is an extinct language of southern [Baja California](/source/Baja_California) spoken by the Waikuri or [Guaycura people](/source/Guaycura_people). The Jesuit priest [Johann Jakob Baegert](/source/Johann_Jakob_Baegert) documented words, sentences and texts in the language between 1751 and 1768.

Waikuri may be, along with the [Yukian](/source/Yuki%E2%80%93Wappo_languages) and [Chumashan](/source/Chumashan_languages) languages and other languages of southern Baja such as [Pericú](/source/Peric%C3%BA_language), among the oldest languages established in California, before the arrival of speakers of [Penutian](/source/Penutian_languages), [Uto-Aztecan](/source/Uto-Aztecan_languages), and perhaps even [Hokan](/source/Hokan_languages) languages. All are spoken in areas with long-established populations of a distinct physical type.[1]

## Name

The ethnonym Waikuri and its variants likely originates from the [Pericú](/source/Peric%C3%BA_language) word *guaxoro* 'friend'. Variations of the name include *Waicuri, Waicuri, Guaicuri, Waicura, Guaycura, Guaicura, Waicuro, Guaicuro, Guaycuro, Vaicuro, Guaicuru, Guaycuru, Waikur*.[2]: 187

## Classification

Baegert's data is analyzed by Raoul Zamponi (2004). On existing evidence, Guaycura appears to be unrelated to the [Yuman languages](/source/Yuman%E2%80%93Cochim%C3%AD_languages) to its north. Some linguists have suggested that it belonged to the widely scattered [Hokan](/source/Hokan_languages) phylum of California and Mexico (Gursky 1966; Swadesh 1967); however, the evidence for this seems inconclusive (Laylander 1997; Zamponi 2004; Mixco 2006). [William C. Massey](/source/William_Clifford_Massey) (1949) suggested a connection with [Pericú](/source/Peric%C3%BA_language), but the latter is too meagerly attested to support a meaningful comparison. Other languages of southern Baja are essentially undocumented, though people have speculated from non-linguistic sources that [Monqui](/source/Monqui_language) (Monquí-Didiú), spoken in a small region around [Loreto](/source/Loreto,_Baja_California_Sur), may have been a 'Guaicurian' language, as perhaps was Huchití (Uchití), though that may have actually been a variety of Guaycura itself (Golla 2007).

The internal classification of Guaicurian (Waikurian) languages is uncertain. Massey (1949), cited in Campbell (1997:169), gives this tentative classification based on similarity judgments given by colonial-era sources, rather than actual linguistic data.

- **Guaicurian (Waikurian)** - Guaicura branch - Guaocura (Waikuri) - Callejue - Huchiti branch - Cora - Huchiti - Aripe - Periúe - Pericú branch - Pericú - Isleño

However, Laylander (1997) and Zamponi (2004) conclude that Waikuri and [Pericú](/source/Peric%C3%BA_language) are unrelated.

## Phonology

### Consonants

Consonants were voiceless stops *p t c k* and maybe a glottal stop; voiced *b d*, nasal *m n ny*, flap *r*, trill *rr*, and approximants *w y*.

Waikuri consonants[2] Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Plosive voiceless p t k (ʔ) voiced b d Affricate t͡ʃ Nasal m n ɲ Rhotic ɾ r Approximant w j

### Vowels

Waikuri had four vowels, /i, e, a, u/. Whether or not vowel length was [phonemic](/source/Phoneme) is unknown.[2]

## Grammar

The little we know of Guaycura grammar was provided by [Francisco Pimentel](/source/Francisco_Pimentel), who analyzed a few verbs and phrases. Guaicura was a polysyllabic language that involved much compounding. For example, 'sky' is *tekerakadatemba*, from *tekaraka* (arched) and *datemba* (earth).

Beagert and Pimentel agree that the plural is formed with a suffix *-ma*. However, Pimentel also notes a prefix *k-* with the 'same' function. For example, *kanai* 'women', from *anai* 'woman'. According to Pimentel, the negation in *-ra* of an adjective resulted in its opposite, so from *ataka* 'good' is derived *atakara* 'bad'.

Pronouns were as follows (Golla 2011):

Pronouns Subject Object Inalienable possessive Alienable possessive I be my be- ~ m- bekún thou e’i thee e’i ? thy e- ekún s/he ? his/her ti- ~ t- we katé us kepe our kepe- kepekún you peté ? they ? their kikún

## Vocabulary

Waikuri vocabulary from Zamponi (2004), which was compiled primarily from 18th-century sources by Johann Jakov Baegert,[3] as well as from Lamberto Hostell and Francisco de Ortega:[2]

### Nouns

English gloss Waikuri Notes earth, land datembà; atembà sky tekerekádatembà lit. ‘arched earth/land’ day untâiri, untáîri week ambúja ‘place where one lives; house; church’ year; pitahaya ambía mescal pui; kenjei, kennei horse; mule titschénu-tschà ‘child of a wise mother’ k.o. snake matanamu ‘light red . . . [snake] with black spots’ k.o. eagle jatacrie lit. ‘deer-catcher’ man; person éte (pl. ti) woman ánaï (pl. kánaï) father -dáre, -áre (man speaking); -cue (woman speaking) parent pera kari son -tschánu, -tschénu shaman taniti; tantipara missionary tià-pa-tù ‘one who has his house in the north' forehead -tapà ~ -apà nose -inamù arm; hand -kére right arm -tschuketà pain -enembeû food búe place where one lives; house; church ambúja ceremonial wand tiyeicha lit. ‘he can talk’ dance floor amaeka word -tanía a song ambéra didì a dance agénari payment tenkíe

### Pronouns

English gloss Waikuri Notes I be (subject) you (sg.) eï subject we catè subject you (pl.) petè subject you (sg.); to you eï direct/indirect object us; to us kepe direct/indirect object mine becún, beticún also used adjectivally with alienably possessed nouns yours (sg.) ecún, ecùn; eiticún also used adjectivally with alienably possessed nouns ours kepecùn also used adjectivally with alienably possessed nouns theirs kicùn also used adjectivally with alienably possessed nouns this one tâupe these ones cávape that one tutâu those ones tucáva this same one tâuvérepe probably also used as a demonstrative determiner who? aipe(e), ci pe all, everything pu also quantifier; cf. 'all' something uë nothing vâra, buarà

### Other parts of speech

English gloss Waikuri Notes great apánne good atacá (pl. atacámma), aata ce; atukià ugly; bad entuditù (pl. entuditámma) washed kunjukaráü (pl.) beaten tschipitschürre (pl. kutipaû) dead tibikíu (pl.) arched tekereká alone íbe many (?) pari; cuncari all pù three akúnju this jatúpe, jaûpe in (a region); from (separation); by means of pè preposition from (source); at the side of; in (time) me preposition of te preposition on, upon tína preposition below búnju postposition on account of déve; tiptischeû preposition acknowledge akátuikè be daï (sg.?); kéa (pl.?) be ashamed ié be born pedára beat tschípake become punjére believe irimánju bury kejenjùta (pl.?) can puduéne chat jake (pl. kuáke) come ku command ïebitschéne confess kutéve die pibikí (?) do (cause) tujakè fight piabakè (pl. kupiábake) forgive kuitscharrakè, kuitscharaké give uteürì, utere; kên go down, descend keritschéü go up tschukíti hate kumbáte have atú help tikakambà kiss tschumuge know kériri, rthe risi, kereri lie (down) tíe live tipè, tipé make, create uretì obey jebarraké play amukíri praise tschakárrake protect kakunjà remember umutù (pl. kumutú) sit penekà stretch out kutikürre (pl. ?) suffer híbitsche talk tiyeicha ‘can talk’ ?; cf. 'ceremonial wand' there is epí touch undiri wish, desire cuvu then enjéme above aëna from there aipúreve and tschie as páe, pàe imperative particle têi (sg.); tu (pl.) no vâra ‘nothing’; cf. 'nothing' thanks (?) payro

## Sample text

The *[Pater Noster](/source/Pater_Noster)* is recorded in Guaycura, with a literal [gloss](/source/Interlinear_gloss) by Pimentel (1874: cap. XXV).

Kepe-dare Padre Nuestro Kepe-dare tekerekadatemba daï, ei-ri akatuike pu-me, tschakarrake pu-me ti tschie. Padre nuestro (que en el) cielo estás, te reconocemos todos (los que) existimos (y te) alaban todos (los que) somos hombres y. Ecun gracia ri atume cate tekerekedatemba tschie. Ei-ri jebarrakeme ti (Y por) tu gracia ? tengamos nosotros (el) cielo (y). Te obedeceremos (los) hombres pu jaupe datemba pae ei jebarrakere aëna kea. Kepekun bue todos aquí (en la) tierra como a ti obedientes arriba siendo. Nuestra comida kepe ken jatupe untairi. Kate kuitscharrake tei tschie kepecun atakamara, (a) nos da este día. (Y a) nos perdona (y) nuestro malo (pecado), pae kuitscharrakere cate tschie cavape atukiara kepetujake. Cate tikakamba tei como perdonamos nosotros también (a) los (que) mal (nos) hacen. (A) nos ayuda tschie cuvume ra cate uë atukiara. Kepe kakunja pe atacara y (no) querremos no nosotros algo malo. (Y a) nos protege de mal tschie. y.

## References

1. Golla, Victor. (2011). *California Indian Languages*. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-5202-6667-4

1. Zamponi, Raoul. 2004. Fragments of Waikuri (Baja California). *Anthropological Linguistics* 46. 156–193.

1. Baegert, Johann Jakob. 1772. *Nachrichten von der Amerikanischen Halbinsel Californien*. Mannheim: Thurfürstliche Hof- und Academia Buchdruckerei

- Golla, Victor. 2007. *Atlas of the World's Languages*.
- Golla, Victor. 2011. *California Indian Languages*.

## Additional reading

- Gursky, Karl-Heinz (January 1966). ["On the Historical Position of Waikuri"](https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/464877). *International Journal of American Linguistics*. **32** (1): 41–45. [doi:10.1086/464877](https://doi.org/10.1086/464877). [ISSN 0020-7071](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0020-7071)
- Laylander, Don. 1997. "The linguistic prehistory of Baja California". In *Contributions to the Linguistic Prehistory of Central and Baja California*, edited by Gary S. Breschini and Trudy Haversat, pp. 1–94. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.
- Massey, William C. 1949. "Tribes and languages of Baja California". *Southwestern Journal of Anthropology* 5:272–307.
- Mixco, Mauricio J. 2006. "The indigenous languages". In *The Prehistory of Baja California: Advances in the Archaeology of the Forgotten Peninsula*, edited by Don Laylander and Jerry D. Moore, pp. 24–41. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
- [Swadesh, Morris](/source/Morris_Swadesh). 1967. "Lexicostatistical Classification". in *Linguistics*, edited by Norman A. McQuown, pp. 79–115. Handbook of Middle American Indians, Vol. 5, Robert Wauchope, general editor. University of Texas Press, Austin.

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