Matses
Matsés
Panoan (Mayoruna)
Matsés (also Mayoruna) is a Panoan language of the Yaquerana basin on the Peru–Brazil frontier. It is celebrated typologically for one of the world’s most elaborate evidential systems: verbs obligatorily encode whether the source of information is direct, inferred, conjectured or reported, and further distinguish the time of the event from the time the speaker learned of it.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Matsés
Water
mapi
/maˈpi/
Fire
tsibo
/tsiˈbo/
Sun
šëdo
/ʂɨˈdo/
Moon
use
/uˈse/
Star
bacuë
/bakwɨ/
Mother
ëna
/ɨˈna/
Father
papa
/paˈpa/
I
ëbi
/ɨβi/
You
mibi
/miβi/
Name
cain
/kãin/
Eye
bëdi
/bɨˈdi/
Hand
mëbi
/mɨˈbi/
Heart
šobi
/ʂoˈbi/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
mado
/maˈdo/
House
šobo
/ʂoˈbo/
Dog
opa
/oˈpa/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
pe-
/pe/
Drink
ak-
/ak/
One
pazë
/paˈzɨ/
Two
dabëd
/daβɨd/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Fleck, David W. (2003) A Grammar of Matses. PhD dissertation, Rice University.
- Fleck, David W. (2007) Evidentiality in Matses. In Aikhenvald & Dixon (eds.) Evidentiality. Oxford.
- Glottolog: Matses
Words compared
Compared with related Panoan (Mayoruna) languages
| Meaning | Matsés | Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh | Kavalan | Andi | Pazeh | Proto-Austronesian | Babuza (Favorlang) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mapi /maˈpi/ | piin /piːn/ | zanum /zaˈnum/ | лъен /ɬen/ | dalum /da.lum/ | *daNum /daNum/ | zalum /zalum/ |
| Fire | tsibo /tsiˈbo/ | apui /aˈpui/ | ramaz /raˈmaz/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ | hapuy /ha.puj/ | *Sapuy /Sapuy/ | apoi /apoi/ |
| Sun | šëdo /ʂɨˈdo/ | biduh /biˈduh/ | siban /siˈban/ | миллӏи /milːi/ | rizax /ɾi.zax/ | *waRi /waRi/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | use /uˈse/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | buran /buˈran/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ | ilas /i.las/ | *bulaN /bulaN/ | zilias /siliəs/ |
| Star | bacuë /bakwɨ/ | bitun /bitun/ | bituqan /bituqan/ | цӀцӀа /tsʼːa/ | mintol /mintol/ | *bituqen /bituqen/ | botto /botːo/ |
| Mother | ëna /ɨˈna/ | sindo /sinˈdoʔ/ | tina /ˈtina/ | ила /ila/ | ina /i.na/ | *ina /ina/ | tina /tina/ |
| Father | papa /paˈpa/ | samah /saˈmah/ | tama /ˈtama/ | има /ima/ | aba /a.ba/ | *ama /ama/ | tama /tama/ |
| I | ëbi /ɨβi/ | aku /aku/ | aiku /aiku/ | ден /dẽ/ | yaku /jaku/ | *aku /aku/ | ka-ina /kaina/ |
| You | mibi /miβi/ | muh /muh/ | aisu /aisu/ | мин /min/ | isiu /isiu/ | *iSu /iSu/ | ijo /ijo/ |
| Name | cain /kãin/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | nangan /naŋan/ | цӀер /tsʼeːr/ | ngadan /ŋadan/ | *ŋajan /ŋajan/ | naan /naːn/ |
| Eye | bëdi /bɨˈdi/ | bateh /baˈteh/ | mata /maˈta/ | гьаркӏо /haɾkʼo/ | daurik /da.u.ɾik/ | *maCa /maCa/ | macha /matʃa/ |
| Hand | mëbi /mɨˈbi/ | təŋən /tə̆ˈŋən/ | rima /riˈma/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ | rima /ɾi.ma/ | *lima /lima/ | rima /rima/ |
| Heart | šobi /ʂoˈbi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ | baga /ba.ɡa/ | *pusuq /pusuq/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | mado /maˈdo/ | kayuh /kaˈjuh/ | kasuy /kaˈsuj/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ | kahuy /ka.huj/ | *kaSiw /kaSiw/ | kayu /kaju/ |
| House | šobo /ʂoˈbo/ | ramin /raˈmin/ | lepaw /ləˈpaw/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ | xuma /xu.ma/ | *Rumaq /Rumaq/ | ruma /ruma/ |
| Dog | opa /oˈpa/ | kaso /kaˈsoʔ/ | wasu /waˈsu/ | хвай /χʷaj/ | wazu /wa.zu/ | *asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | ngiyaw /ŋiˈjaw/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | pe- /pe/ | kuman /kuˈman/ | quman /quˈman/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ | mekan /mə.kan/ | *kaen /kaen/ | maan /maːn/ |
| Drink | ak- /ak/ | ŋinum /ŋiˈnum/ | mimum /miˈmum/ | игьин /iɣin/ | mimaazip /mi.maː.zip/ | *inum /inum/ | minum /minum/ |
| One | pazë /paˈzɨ/ | isaʔ /iˈsaʔ/ | issa /ˈissa/ | цеб /tseb/ | adang /a.daŋ/ | *isa /isa/ | nata /nata/ |
| Two | dabëd /daβɨd/ | duɔh /duɔh/ | zusa /zusa/ | чӀеди /tʃʼedi/ | dusa /dusa/ | *duSa /duSa/ | naroa /naroa/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | biis /biːs/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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