Karifuna
Garifuna
Arawakan (Caribbean)
Garifuna (Garífuna) is an Arawakan language of the Garifuna people of Central America's Caribbean coast (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua), with ~200K speakers. It is a unique survival: descendants of African Maroons and Carib-Arawak Native Caribbeans on Saint Vincent who, after British deportation in 1797, kept the indigenous Arawakan language of Saint Vincent rather than adopting an African or European tongue. The language famously preserves a pronounced gender-based register difference: many words have separate male-speech and female-speech forms reflecting the historical Carib-Arawak gender split. UNESCO inscribed Garifuna culture as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2001.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Garifuna
Water
huya
/huja/
Fire
watu
/watu/
Sun
weyu
/weju/
Moon
hati
/hati/
Mother
úguchu
/uɡutʃu/
Father
úguchili
/uɡutʃili/
Eat
éiga
/eiɡa/
Drink
ata
/ata/
Love
hínsiñe
/hinsiɲe/
Heart
anigi
/aniɡi/
Tree
wewe
/wewe/
House
muna
/muna/
Dog
aulamu
/aulamu/
Cat
meu
/meu/
Hand
úhabu
/uhabu/
Eye
úgubu
/uɡubu/
Hello
mabuiga
/mabuiɡa/
Thank you
seremein
/seremein/
One
aban
/aban/
Good
buidu
/bwidu/
Sources
- Ethnologue: cab
- Suazo (1994) Conversemos en Garífuna
- UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Heritage
Words compared
Compared with related Arawakan (Caribbean) languages
| Meaning | Garifuna | Galibi Carib | Northern Embera | Yagaria | Warao | Aymara | Gilbertese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | huya /huja/ | tuna /tuna/ | do /do/ | nofa /nofa/ | hoidu /hojdu/ | uma /uma/ | ran /ɾan/ |
| Fire | watu /watu/ | waktö /waktø/ | tu /tu/ | yo /jo/ | hekunu /hekunu/ | nina /nina/ | ai /ai/ |
| Sun | weyu /weju/ | weju /weju/ | hewa /hewa/ | kena /kena/ | ya /ja/ | inti /inti/ | tai /tai/ |
| Moon | hati /hati/ | nuno /nuno/ | ahuru /ahuɾu/ | ulu /ulu/ | waniku /waniku/ | phaxsi /pʰaχsi/ | namwakaina /namʷakaina/ |
| Mother | úguchu /uɡutʃu/ | sano /sano/ | papa /papa/ | nene /nene/ | dani /dani/ | mama /mama/ | tinau /tinau/ |
| Father | úguchili /uɡutʃili/ | papa /papa/ | apa /apa/ | papa /papa/ | daka /daka/ | tata /tata/ | tamau /tamau/ |
| Eat | éiga /eiɡa/ | onökö /onøkø/ | ko /ko/ | na /na/ | nahoro /nahoɾo/ | manqʼaña /manqʼaɲa/ | amwarake /amʷaɾake/ |
| Drink | ata /ata/ | ëne /ɘne/ | dorrare /doraɾe/ | nava /nava/ | osi /osi/ | umaña /umaɲa/ | nima /nima/ |
| Love | hínsiñe /hinsiɲe/ | kataneko /kataneko/ | ãỹba /ãɨba/ | amige /amiɡe/ | anaubu /anaubu/ | munasiña /munasiɲa/ | tangira /taŋiɾa/ |
| Heart | anigi /aniɡi/ | emanga /emaŋɡa/ | ƀakhuru /ɓakuɾu/ | nemo /nemo/ | obonona /obonona/ | chuyma /tʃujma/ | nano /nano/ |
| Tree | wewe /wewe/ | wewe /wewe/ | bakuru /bakuɾu/ | yake /jake/ | dau /daw/ | quqa /quqa/ | kai /kai/ |
| House | muna /muna/ | paty /pati/ | te /te/ | nono /nono/ | hanoko /hanoko/ | uta /uta/ | auti /auti/ |
| Dog | aulamu /aulamu/ | pero /peɾo/ | usa /usa/ | yapa /japa/ | aurahu /auɾahu/ | anu /anu/ | kamea /kamea/ |
| Cat | meu /meu/ | meu /meu/ | misu /misu/ | pusi /pusi/ | mishi /miʃi/ | phisi /pʰisi/ | katu /katu/ |
| Hand | úhabu /uhabu/ | amu /amu/ | jua /xua/ | bayo /bajo/ | mokomoko /mokomoko/ | ampara /ampaɾa/ | bai /bai/ |
| Eye | úgubu /uɡubu/ | enu /enu/ | tau /tau/ | gago /ɡaɡo/ | mu /mu/ | nayra /najɾa/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hello | mabuiga /mabuiɡa/ | mary /maɾi/ | sake bia /sake bia/ | amige /amiɡe/ | yakera /jakeɾa/ | kamisaki /kamisaki/ | mauri /mauɾi/ |
| Thank you | seremein /seremein/ | irombo /iɾombo/ | bia bara /bia baɾa/ | tega /teɡa/ | kase /kase/ | yuspagara /juspaɣaɾa/ | ko rabwa /ko ɾabʷa/ |
| One | aban /aban/ | o:wi /oːwi/ | aba /aba/ | kahene /kahene/ | hisaka /hisaka/ | maya /maja/ | teuana /teuana/ |
| Good | buidu /bwidu/ | epoja /epoja/ | bia /bia/ | kavi /kavi/ | yakera /jakeɾa/ | suma /suma/ | raoiroi /ɾaoiɾoi/ |
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