Tinigua language

Tinigua (Tiniguas) is an endangered language isolate spoken in Colombia which used to form a small language family with the now extinct Pamigua language.

Final speakers
As of 2000, Tinigua had only two remaining speakers, Sixto Muñoz (Tinigua name: Sɨsɨthio ‘knife’) and his brother, Criterio. Criterio died some time around 2005, leaving behind Sixto as the last remaining speaker of Tinigua. Formerly a resident of the Serranía de la Macarena in Meta Department, Sixto Muñoz currently resides in Jiw village of Barrancón, near the main town of Guaviare Department. They lived in Meta Department, between the Upper Guayabero and Yari rivers.

Muñoz also speaks Spanish and is thought to have been born somewhere from 1924-1929. He has five children, but he chose not to teach them Tinigua because they would not have any use for it.

Below is a comparison of Tinigua forms elicited from Sixto Muñoz in 2019 compared with Tinigua and Pamigua words recorded in Castellví (1940).


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! English gloss !! Tinigua (Sixto Muñoz) !! Tinigua (Castellví) !! Pamigua (Castellví)
 * eye || sıt̵́i || zőti, zɘ̀ti || sete, xete
 * water || ɲikʷájtʃi || ñikwáiši || nikagé
 * fire || hikʰítsa || ičísa || ekísa
 * woman || ɲísa || ñíza, ñísä || nixtá
 * dog || hanó || xamno, xámiu || xannó
 * jaguar || kʰíɲa ~ tʃíɲa || číña, ǰíña, xiña || xiñaga
 * corn || jóʔhá || t’óka, tióka || xukxá
 * manioc || komáha || xaačá || xoayoa
 * let's go || minahá || manaxǎí || menáxa
 * chili pepper || tsákha || ţáxa || saxa
 * good || hajohási || ayuxáǐ || ayoxagua (‘good morning’)
 * plantain || mandótha || madóxa || mandotá
 * spirit || hamajiéha || pan-kianóso || kinoxá (‘enemy’)
 * man || tsɨtsía || psäţeyá || piksiga
 * five || tsátokwahá (tsátho-kwaʔa ‘left.side-hand’) || xopa-kuáxa || saksu-kuaxa
 * eleven || tapásaɲóha || čimatóse-kiésä || čipsé ipa-kiaxi
 * }
 * let's go || minahá || manaxǎí || menáxa
 * chili pepper || tsákha || ţáxa || saxa
 * good || hajohási || ayuxáǐ || ayoxagua (‘good morning’)
 * plantain || mandótha || madóxa || mandotá
 * spirit || hamajiéha || pan-kianóso || kinoxá (‘enemy’)
 * man || tsɨtsía || psäţeyá || piksiga
 * five || tsátokwahá (tsátho-kwaʔa ‘left.side-hand’) || xopa-kuáxa || saksu-kuaxa
 * eleven || tapásaɲóha || čimatóse-kiésä || čipsé ipa-kiaxi
 * }
 * man || tsɨtsía || psäţeyá || piksiga
 * five || tsátokwahá (tsátho-kwaʔa ‘left.side-hand’) || xopa-kuáxa || saksu-kuaxa
 * eleven || tapásaɲóha || čimatóse-kiésä || čipsé ipa-kiaxi
 * }
 * eleven || tapásaɲóha || čimatóse-kiésä || čipsé ipa-kiaxi
 * }
 * }