Cabécar language

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cabécar
Native toCosta Rica
RegionTurrialba Region (Cartago Province)
EthnicityCabécar people 13,000 (2011 census)[1]
Native speakers
11,000 (2011)[1]
2,000 monolingual (2015)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3cjp
Glottologcabe1245
ELPCabécar

The Cabécar language is an indigenous American language of the Chibchan language family spoken by the Cabécar people in the inland Turrialba Region, Cartago Province, Costa Rica. As of 2007, 2,000 speakers were monolingual.[1] It is the only indigenous language in Costa Rica with monolingual adults.[1] The language is also known by its dialect names Chirripó, Estrella, Telire, and Ujarrás.[1]

History

Cabécar is considered to be one of a few "Chibcha-speaking tribes", categorized by similarities in the languages that they speak. Other Chibcha speaking tribes include the Bribri and the Boruca, also of Costa Rica. It is believed that the languages of the Chibcha speaking tribes shared a common ancestor around 8,000 years ago. However, differences in the languages are thought to have come about from the influence of outside people, including influences from Mesoamerica.[2]

Geographic distribution

Cabécar is an endangered language spoken in Costa Rica. It is spoken by the Cabécar people, an indigenous group located near the Talamancan mountains of Costa Rica.[2]

Dialects and varieties

There are two different dialects of Cabécar, each of which has more narrow dialects within it. One of these is spoken in the north, while the other is spoken in southern parts of Costa Rica.[3]

Phonology

Cabécar uses a Latin alphabet with

vowels, five of which are nasalized.[4]

Consonants

Bilabial Dental Alveolar Retroflex Postalveolar Velar Glottal
Plosive plain p ⟨p⟩
t
 ⟨t⟩ 		t͡ʃ ⟨ch⟩ k ⟨k⟩
voiced b ⟨b⟩
d
 ⟨d⟩ 		d͡ʒ ⟨y⟩
Fricative s ⟨s⟩ ʃ ⟨sh⟩ h ⟨j⟩
Affricate t͡k ⟨tk⟩ t͡s ⟨ts⟩
Flap
 ɽ ⟨r⟩
Nasal ŋ ⟨n̈⟩

Vowels

Vowels
Front Central Back
High
 oral i ⟨i⟩ u ⟨u⟩
nasal ĩ ⟨i̱⟩ ũ ⟨u̱⟩
Near-high
 ɪ ⟨ë⟩ ʊ ⟨ö⟩
Mid-high
 oral e ⟨e⟩ o ⟨o⟩
nasal ẽ ⟨e̱⟩ õ ⟨o̱⟩
Low
 oral a ⟨a⟩
nasal ã ⟨a̱⟩

[5]

Grammar

Cabécar has a canonical word order of

subject–object–verb.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Cabécar at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b Barrantes, R.; Smouse, P.E.; Mohrenweiser, H.W.; Gershowitz, H.; Azofeifa, J.; Arias, T.D.; Neel, J.V. (1990). "Microevolution in Lower Central America: Genetic Characterization of the Chibcha-Speaking Groups of Costa Rica and Panama, and a Consensus Taxonom Based on Genetic and Linguistic Affinity". American Journal of Human Genetics. 43: 63–84.
  3. ^ Margery-Peña, Enrique; Constenla-Umaña, Adolfo (16 February 2010). "Cabécar, Costa Rica". University of Costa Rica. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  4. ^ a b Native-languages.org
  5. ISBN 9789977671000
    .

Resources

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cabécar_language&oldid=1183950163"