2520:
illiteracy rate than men. These numbers refer only to
Spanish literacy. Most Ngäbes are illiterate in Ngäbere, since it is traditionally an oral language. Learning to read Ngäbere is not a priority to most Ngäbes, since there is a more urgent need for literacy in Spanish. As well, there is still the ever-present cultural stigma attached to the language that may be affecting the impetus of Ngäbere as a written language. Rodríguez) observes that “la gente en general está enfocando su interés otra vez en el idioma pero no tiene habilidad para leer su propio idioma y al hacerlo les da pena.” (The people in general are again focusing their interest in the language, but they don't have the ability to read their own language and they are embarrassed doing it).
2524:
Universidad de las Américas (UDELAS), located in
Chichica, which is dedicated to providing a degree in intercultural bilingual education. In 2012 UDELAS will have its first graduating class, and it is hoped that, according to Professor Julia Mora, it will produce a notable change in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé by training teachers who will rescue the Ngäbere language. There is another Comarca institution located in Soloy, La Universidad Ngäbe-Buglé, which is “preparando personal bilingüe de la comarca para la comarca” (preparing bilingual personnel from the Comarca for the Comarca). It is hoped that more Ngäbes will be trained as teachers who will show greater dedication to the preservation of Ngäbe culture and language by working within the Comarca.
1922:
treatment of time is somewhat more complex in Ngäbere than in
English. According to Kopesec, there are two broad categories of time, actual and potential. Actual refers to an action that has happened or has begun to happen, while potential refers to an action that is projected or intended. Furthermore, there are two other categories that verbs may be placed in, limited or unlimited. A limited verb is not currently in progress, which implies an end point or completion in the case of actual verbs, or a future beginning point in the case of potential verbs. An unlimited verb is currently in progress during a specific scenario, and the beginning or end point is not implied.
922:"Although the language bears the unmistakable marks of an SOV language, auxiliaries and modality verbs precede – rather than follow – their compliments. This also extends to the negative marker, which precedes the auxiliary verb (or the main verb in the absence of auxiliary). This feature of Ngäbére word order is at variance with the normal pattern of rigid SOV languages. Among Chibchan languages, some follow the Ngäbére word order pattern; others display a more conservative SOV pattern, with auxiliaries and modality verbs following their verbal compliments; while others yet display both patterns." (Emphasis in the original)
2117:
tensiones de la luchas los ngäbe y buglé. En algún momento de la historia hicieron alianza como estrategia de defensa ante otro grupo de indígenas pero en esta convivencia cada uno decía ser mejor que el otro. Los ngäbes llamaron a los buglé bobotas o bokotas para ofenderlos, para decir que eran como unos sapos, y los buglé utilizaron la palabra gwarare, o gwa minta, que significa como lombrices. Los contactos latinos con los grupos indígenas ratificaron que se les llamaba bokotas o guaymíes y así se escribieron los libros. Pero ahora ninguna de esas palabras designa a ninguno de los dos grupos.
2838:
2475:(The word “dialect” usually is used with a discriminatory or offensive meaning to diminish the value of the culture or of the speakers. This produced a negative effect in the self-esteem of the Ngäbes for a long time, whose impact could be seen when a Ngäbe preferred to abstain from speaking in front of a person of another cultural group because of embarrassment. But now a process of recuperation of self-esteem is observed, and the people have more confidence in themselves and in the value of their culture, and ultimately in the language.)
2120:(The history of the indigenous groups reveals a continual rivalry manifested in different forms, but one of the revealing forms of rivalry is the verbal form-- that is to say, a verbal war which is characterized by sarcasm, irony, and offense using words, at one point overcoming the tensions in the struggles of the Ngäbe and Buglé. At some moment in history they made an alliance as a defense strategy against another indigenous group, but in this fellowship each one said that they were better than the other. The Ngäbes called the Buglés
2512:(Network of Opportunities) which gives women with children $ 50 a month that is supposed to help out with education expenses, oftentimes those resources are spent before they are even received. Even if children are able to attend school they usually receive a subpar education, since the least experienced(and sometimes most disgruntled) teachers often get sent to work in difficult access schools. If a small percentage of Ngäbes graduate from high school, a minuscule amount (less than 1%) is able to receive a higher education.
2552:(When working with an unknown language there have been problems for the investigators because of the lack of minimal pairs and/or adequate framework. Different people when working in previous analyses have had different points of view regarding the interpretation of data. Possibly due to the nature of their diverse languages (English and Spanish), native speakers of different languages have had differences of perception that resulted in overdifferentiation of phonemes on the part of the investigators.)
2549:“Al trabajar con una lengua desconocida ha habido problemas para los investigadores por falta de pares mínimos y/o marcos adecuados. Al trabajar diferentes personas en análisis previos ha habido diferencias de punto de vista en cuanto a la interpretación de datos. Posiblemente por la naturaleza de sus diversos idiomas (inglés y español), al trabajar hablantes nativos de distintos idiomas ha habido diferencias de percepción que resultaron en sobrediferenciación de fonemas de parte de los investigadores”
2486:(There is a phenomenon that I would like to highlight, and it is the fact that at the beginning of the 80’s, the Ngäbe students that had the chance to study in the elementary schools, high schools, and universities have been in less contact with the practice of the customs, oral traditions, and the spoken language, and don’t have as much ability to remember and practice the customs and language. The children of the new generations don’t have the ability to speak in Ngäbere.)
2516:
do not even speak
Spanish at all. As such, these people are less likely to know how and through which channels to petition aid from the government or become self-sufficient workers within the Panamanian economy. Even more seriously, “Due to inadequate education and poor Spanish language skills members of this group are often unaware of their rights and fail to employ legal channels when threatened” by outside coercions from mining and power companies, and the like.
3062:
3094:
2406:"the phoneticized words can expect to have meaning within the Ngawbere language (semanticization) that extends beyond or embellishes the original meaning in the foreign language. This particularly is true when the introduced objects (or concepts) are associated with similar objects (or concepts) or strategic importance to Ngawbere culture, that is, the borrowed word will carry a high semantic load in terms of the more salient values of Ngawbere culture."
3248:
2076:
lower than the ethnic population, given the fact that many younger people today are not learning the language. Oftentimes people of indigenous descent who do not speak the indigenous language do not consider themselves to be “Indians” but rather identify themselves as Latino or campesino. Before the formation of the
Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, census figures for Ngäbe population were based on whether or not they spoke the native language.
274:(dialect) frequently by both Ngäbes and Latinos. Rolando Rodríguez remarks on this misnomer: “El ngäbere no es una variedad del español o de otra lengua conocida, de manera que por desconocimiento se suele decir dialecto al ngäbere, cuando en realidad es una lengua.” (Ngäbere is not a variety of Spanish or of any other known language. Through ignorance people usually call Ngäbere “dialect,” when in reality it is a language.)
2370:, a seasonal gathering of several communities that traditionally involves a game where men throw large balsawood sticks at the legs of opponents. In past times food was prepared for the invited guest community, marriage arrangements were made, stories were told, and grievances were aired by fist fights. In current times it is mainly an opportunity to drink exorbitant amounts of chicha, fight, and throw the balsa.
2462:, which means to speak like a cockroach. By the same token, Ngäbes have long been the recipient of sustained racism from the Latinos. The language use and education of Ngäbere in the home has been heavily diminished by cause of several factors, including the socialization to be embarrassed of Ngäbe language and culture because of racism and low self-esteem. The use of the word
2168:
determined by where a person is from. Traditionally the Ngäbes lived in small hamlets as family units, and the name of this place was their family name. Stemming from the influence of
Christian missionaries grouping the people into tighter communities, today it is more common to live in larger communities, though the last name is still determined by the name of the town.
2541:
numerous, they lack, in general, in transmorphologization, which makes them of little use to work with” Alphonse was not a trained linguist, so while his effort was well-intentioned and his long history with the people was insightful, it remained for the next generation of linguists to offer a more detailed and correct description of Ngäbere grammar.
2495:
practicar los elementos de las costumbres y tradiciones, como los bailes, y decir sus nombres en Ngäbere sin pena.” (In general terms the Ngäbes feel proud of their culture and language. They feel more comfortable speaking and practicing the elements of their customs and traditions, such as the dances, and say their names in Ngäbere without shame.”
2451:
al menos coexistente en la región. Dicho factor causa un conflicto debido a las grandes diferencias que existen entre los dos idiomas” (the presence of
Spanish as the language of predominant culture, or at least coexistent in the region. Said factor causes a conflict due to the great differences that exist between the two languages)
2204:. However, both these terms could also be applied to what in English would be known as “cousin” or “second cousin.” There are also vocative and non-vocative kinship terms, depending on whether one is speaking directly to the relative or simply referring to them. Traditionally a man was not supposed to speak directly to his
2645:
José: Universidad de Costa Rica. (1995). Sobre el estudio diacrónico de las lenguas chibchenses y su contribución al conocimiento del pasado de sus hablantes (Of the diachronic study of the
Chibchan languages and its contribution to the knowledge of the past of their speakers). Boletín del Museo del Oro (38-39), 13-56.
2490:
Often parents want their children to speak
Spanish in order to have more success in life. Even when Ngäbere is still spoken in the home it is not uncommon for children to answer their parents’ Ngäbere questions in Spanish. Spanish is spoken almost exclusively at school, and even on the playground.
2075:
The total population of those who identified themselves as Ngäbe in the 2010 Panamanian
National Census was 260,058. The population of speakers in Costa Rica in the year 2000 was 5,090, with a total ethnic population of 5,360. It must be kept in mind that the number of speakers of Ngäbere is somewhat
686:
As a traditionally oral language, the Ngäbere writing system has only very recently been created. An alphabet was developed using the Latin script, based on the Spanish alphabet. Given that Spanish is the most widely used language in the Central American region, the alphabet was based on the Spanish
2556:
Spanish speakers find the Ngäbere nasalized vowels quite difficult to distinguish and reproduce due to the nature of Spanish vowels. It has also been observed by English speakers that “/b/, /m/, /n/, and /l/ are notoriously difficult to distinguish in Guaymí speech” (Young 1990). Oftentimes spelling
2544:
During the 1970s and 80s more attention was focused on studying the phonetic and grammatical structures, during which time a definite alphabet and writing system was developed. Kopesec offers a more comprehensive description of the grammar. Payne also gave insights on the function of the subject in
2532:
Research of Ngäbere has been sporadic throughout the past 200 years. Among the first efforts to study the language was a basic lexicon written in the beginning of the 19th century by Padre Blas José Franco. His work was the base of a lexicon written by A. L. Pinart, who visited the Cricamola River
2515:
Due to these factors, the majority of those who are technically literate are still very poorly educated, and are often looked down upon by other Panamanians in part because of their poor Spanish skills and lack of education. The elderly and women are more likely to be illiterate, and many old women
2491:
The result is that many in the younger generations are not learning the language, and those who have not learned it can't pass it on to their children. Although the language is not in immediate danger of extinction, there is a chance that in the future if this trend continues it could be in danger.
2482:
Hay un fenómeno que quisiera resaltar y es el hecho de que al iniciarse la década de los 80 los estudiantes Ngäbes que tuvieron la oportunidad de estudiar en las escuelas, colegios y universidades han estado en menos contacto con la práctica de las costumbres, tradiciones orales y el idioma hablado
2450:
The Ngäbere alphabet was designed taking into consideration the differences between Spanish and Ngäbere, and the need to reconcile these differences. Costa Rican linguist Barbara Lininger notes a tension between the two languages with “la presencia del español como lengua de cultura predominante, o
2175:
Ngäbe communities also have two names, one in Spanish and one in Ngäbere, which often correspond with each other, but not always. For example, "Cerro Otoe" (Otoe Mountain) and "Tätobta" (Beside Otoe Peak), "Llano Ñopo" (Spaniard Plain) and "Suliakwatabti" (On top of Spaniard Plain/Flesh). Many other
2171:
Most Ngäbes have two names, their Ngäbe name and their Spanish name. The Spanish name is their legal name and is used for all official documentation and during much of everyday life. In recent times, the use of Ngäbe names is often pushed aside, especially in front of outsiders. On the other hand,
262:
While all varieties of Ngäbere are grammatically identical and mutually intelligible, there are phonological and lexical differences that vary from region to region. The people of different regions may use different words for the same concept or pronounce the same word differently. Vowel sounds may
2564:
As has been the case over the past 200 years, there is a scarcity of current published research, especially on cultural language use. There are some published colloquial works, educational manuals, and religious translations, although few in number. These include stories from the oral tradition; a
2540:
was published. While far more substantial than anything previously published, it still had problems. José Murillo notes that, “Aunque los ejemplos de este autor son numerosos, carecen, en general, de transmorfologización, lo cual hace al trabajo poco útil.” (Although the examples of this author are
2167:
Ngäbe proper names typically don't refer to any object, natural or otherwise—for the most part they are just names. Some examples of male names are Oli, Chíton, Chä, Niti, Ima, Nicho, Ulira, and Itikän. Examples of female names are Besikó, Ei, Bei, Bechi, Belikó, Meti, Mesi, and Tu Last names are
2644:
Constenla Umaña, A. (1981). Comparative Chibchan Phonology. (Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia). (1991). Las lenguas del Área Intermedia: Introducción a su estudio areal (Languages of the Intermediate Area: Introduction to its area study). San
2470:
La palabra dialecto se suele utilizar con sentido discriminatorio u ofensivo para disminuir el valor de la cultura o de los hablantes. Esto producía un efecto negativo en la autoestima de los Ngäbes por mucho tiempo, cuyo impacto se podía ver cuando un Ngäbe prefería abstenerse de hablar frente a
2116:
La historia de los grupos indígenas revela una continua rivalidad manifestada de diferentes formas, pero unas de las formas reveladoras de rivalidad es la forma verbal, es decir, una guerra verbal que se caracteriza por el sarcasmo, la ironía, y la ofensa utilizando palabras, una vez superando las
1921:
Ngäbere verbs do not need to agree with their subject — verbs are inflected only for tense, not person. “Ngäbere verbs do not display subject or object agreement. In this way they differ from verbs in related Chibchan languages”. While the verbs are conjugated solely in respect to time, linguistic
848:
Ngäbere is largely a monotonous language, with few extreme fluctuations in tone. To listen to a recorded sample of the language, visit Global Recordings Network, where they have recordings of messages and songs created for the purpose of Evangelical missionary work, as well as the English scripts.
2519:
According to the Panamanian National Institute of Statistics and Census, the percentage of illiteracy in the Comarca Ngäbe Buglé fell from 45.9% in 2000 to 30.8% in 2010; although a significant improvement, it is still much a much higher rate than in the rest of Panama, with women having a higher
2179:
Kinship terms are quite broad and often can be applied to many types of relationships, depending on where the person falls in the kinship network. P.D. Young wrote an ethnography in the 1960s which offers, among other things, an in-depth analysis of the complexity of kinship relations. Kinship
1929:
and the remote future. Generally speaking the close or recent past may be considered during the same day as the present time. Farther back in the past should be expressed using the remote past. Verbs are conjugated by taking the root of the verb and adding a suffix. The suffixes for recent and
2986:
Kopesec, M.F. (1974). La Jerarquía Fonológica Del Guaymí (The Phonologic Hierarchy of Guaymí). Sistemas Fonológicos, 17-30;(1975). Los Elementos Verbales y Sustantivos y la Oración en Guaymí (The Verbal and Noun Elements and the Sentence in Guaymí). Observaciones Preliminares Sobre Los Sistemas
2681:
Arosemena, B., Melquíades, A.,. (1980). Observaciones analíticas de un texto narrativo guaimí (Analytical Observations of a Narrative Guaymí Text) Estudios Sobre El Discurso En Guaymí, 35-59; Arosemena, F. C., (1980). Los participantes en un texto narrativo guaimí (The participants in a Guaymí
844:
The accent system generally puts the primary accent on the penultimate syllable of words, although there many exceptions. A monosyllabic word always features a primary or strong accent. In a bisyllabic word the accent can fall on either syllable. In words of three or four syllables the primary
827:
has been recurrently and erroneously spelled “Ngöbe” by many people, Latino and Ngäbe alike, because the phoneme /ä/ is heard and reproduced by Spanish speakers as /o/, and therefore they attempt to write it that way while continuing to acknowledge that it is in fact a different phoneme than the
2507:
Although education through ninth grade is free and compulsory, it is difficult for many Ngäbe children to attend school. Many live in remote areas too far away to attend school, and some walk up to three hours and back every day to attend classes. Many families do not have enough money to buy
2494:
Due to growing concern about the future of the language and culture, there has been a recent resurgence in cultural pride, even a reclamation of sorts of a position of power: “En término general los Ngäbes se sienten orgullosos de su cultura y de su idioma. se sienten más cómodos de hablar y
822:
Standardization of spelling has been slow to solidify after the creation of a writing system, especially regarding the transcription of vowels. This appears to have been influenced by the different alphabets and pronunciation of the various Spanish and English speaking researchers attempting to
2523:
Comarca law stipulates that there must be a bilingual Spanish/Ngäbere education. However, in practice there has been virtually no application of this policy. There are a few prototype bilingual programs in existence in primary schools. There was also a new university established in 2010, La
927:“An O – V – S order does occur, and is probably a contrastive-object device akin to English Y-movement. When this order occurs, however, the subject must be case-marked.". Similarly to Korean, another SOV language, “a ‘topic’ suffix may also partake in marking the contrasted noun phrase.”
2503:
Until recent decades, it was nearly unheard of for a Ngäbe to receive an education past primary school. Although there are definitely more educational opportunities now than in the past, there is still much wanting in the education of Ngäbe children. According to the Minority Rights Group
2560:
Studies in the past have sometimes been conducted in a manner which could lead to inconclusive results for the language as a whole (i.e. using only one informant as the language source in the study), as in the studies of Lininger and Payne in studying the Ngäbere of Costa Rican speakers.
2176:
communities have place names that are either untranslatable proper nouns or names whose translations have been lost. Examples include "Kinkinbta" ("Peña Blanca" or "White Cliff" in Spanish), Kaninbta ("Hato Pilón" or "Rice Mortar Ranch"), and Ünbti ("Hato Chamí" or "Chamí Ranch").
2377:
Puberty ritual for girls (no longer practiced frequently). Upon having her first menstruation, a girl was taken into isolation and ritually bathed. She was taught how to be a woman by an old woman in the community, who instructed her how to behave for her husband and how to make
840:
in the middle of the word have also been the subject of non-standard spelling, since many write the word as it is pronounced rather than following the spelling rule. For the purposes of this article, all spelling will attempt to follow the standard writing and phonetics system.
263:
change; for example, the word for “to see” that is pronounced /toen/ in some regions may be pronounced /tuen/ in other areas; the word for “you” may be pronounced /mä/ or /ma/ depending on the region. Syllable stress may also vary regionally—for instance, the word for “dove,”
2545:
Ngäbere. Murillo has recently expanded on the works of Kopesec and Payne in regards to the grammar and formation of words and sentences.) Lininger comments on the difficulties regarding the research itself due to the linguistic pre-perceptions of the researchers:
2224:
The following list of phrases is likely to be useful for a visitor to the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé. Oftentimes locals will greet foreigners in Ngäbere to test them. They are very impressed and culturally validated by simple exchanges with foreigners in Ngäbere.
2401:
for contact with outsiders. Ngäbere has borrowed many words from Spanish, and to a lesser extent from English. The sounds of the loan words are often nasalized, voiced, or de-voiced, in order to conform to Ngäbere phonology. K. Bletzer Bletzer argues that
1220:
language. It also displays a number of suffixal tense-aspect-modality markers, as well as suffixal case markers and adposistions. These suffixes are attached to nouns and verbs. When used in the perfect aspect to indicate a nominative case, the suffix
818:, whose Spanish values either do not exist in Ngäbere or are represented by other letters. Loan words containing the phone , which does not exist in Ngäbere, are modified to /b/, such as /ban/ for “pan” (bread), and /bobre/ for “pobre” (poor)
254:
family, which is indigenous to an area that extends from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia. Ngäbere is one of two languages classified under a group called Guaymí. The other is a related but mutually unintelligible language called
845:
accent often appears in the first or second syllable; in the rare longer word of three or more syllables, sometimes two primary accents may appear. The tone is slightly higher on the primary accent than on the rest of the word.
242:. Beginning in the 1950s, Costa Rica began to receive Ngäbe immigrants, where they are found in several indigenous reservations: Abrojos Montezuma, Conteburica, Coto Brus, Guaymí de Alto Laguna de Osa, and Altos de San Antonio.
2691:
Lininger Ross, B. (1982). II-El Alfabeto Practico Ngäbere y las Listas Ilustrativas (II – The Practical Ngäbere Alphabet and Illustrative Lists). Revista De Filología y Lingüística De La Universidad De Costa Rica, 8(1-2),
2910:
Lininger Ross, B.(1982). II-El Alfabeto Practico Ngäbere y las Listas Ilustrativas (II – The Practical Ngäbere Alphabet and Illustrative Lists). Revista De Filología y Lingüística De La Universidad De Costa Rica, 8(1-2),
2755:
Kopesec, M.F. (1975). Los Elementos Verbales y Sustantivos y la Oración en Guaymí (The Verbal and Noun Elements and the Sentence in Guaymí). Observaciones Preliminares Sobre Los Sistemas Gramaticales De Las Lenguas
2765:
Kopesec, M.F.(1975). Los Elementos Verbales y Sustantivos y la Oración en Guaymí (The Verbal and Noun Elements and the Sentence in Guaymí). Observaciones Preliminares Sobre Los Sistemas Gramaticales De Las Lenguas
2410:
Since most Ngäbere words end in vowel sounds, foreign words ending in consonants are often stripped of their final consonants or adorned with a final vowel. Internal consonants are also softened. (ex. Jesus →
2726:
Young, P. D., & Givón, T. (1990). The puzzle of Ngäbére auxiliaries. Grammatical reconstruction in Chibchan and Misumalpan. Studies in Typology and Diachrony, ed. by Croft, Koenning, and Kemmer. 209-243.
267:, may be pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, or with equal strong accents on both syllables, depending on the speaker's region. Penonomeño was somewhat more distinct, but is no longer spoken.
2471:
persona de otro grupo cultural por pena. Pero ahora se observa un proceso de recuperación de la autoestima, y la gente tiene más confianza en sí misma y en el valor de su cultura, y por ende en el idioma.
2812:
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (National Institute of Statistics and Census), Republic of Panama (2010). Indigenous Population in the Republic, by Sex, Indigenous Group, and Age Groups, 2010.
2977:
Alphonse, E. S. (1956). Guaymí; Grammar and Dictionary: With some ethnological notes. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 162. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
2447:“table”). In addition to using loan words, bilingual Ngäbes conversing with each other often code switch between Spanish and Ngäbere within the same conversation or even the same sentence.
2153:
Vagueness and long silences are normal and acceptable in communication. In fact, it is considered impolite if one does not give another enough time to consider his words before speaking.
185:
1455:
The regular noun phrase consists of the nucleus (head noun or pronoun) followed by the possible addition of a modifier, quantifier, or demonstrative. Articles are not used in Ngäbere.
2999:
Lininger Ross, B. (1981). Estudios Sobre el Guaymí Ngäbere: Fonologia, Alfabeto Y Diccionario Provisional. Revista De Filología y Lingüística De La Universidad De Costa Rica, 7.
2609:
Lininger Ross, B. (1981). Estudios Sobre el Guaymí Ngäbere: Fonologia, Alfabeto Y Diccionario Provisional. Revista De Filología y Lingüística De La Universidad De Costa Rica, 7)
2533:
region in 1893. His findings were then used as the base of some language studies by other linguists but very little of the information was thoroughly reliable or extensive.
238:. The Ngäbes are the most populous of Panama's several indigenous peoples. The language is centered in Panama within the semi-autonomous indigenous reservation known as the
2172:
Ngäbes love to bestow Ngäbe names on trusted outsiders to share their culture and indicate acceptance, and will refer to that person exclusively by his or her Ngäbe name.
931:
Additionally, in the passive voice the word order takes on an S – V – O arrangement, much like in English except that the auxiliary verb is placed after the main verb.
3017:
Teubner, C., Prado, E., Gómez, B., Bivin, W, transl. (2006). Ari Kare Ngöböye, Cuarto Ed. (Let’s Sing to God, 4th ed.). USA: El Centro de Literatura Ngäbere (CELING).
1794:
is added to nouns or pronouns to show non-inherent possession (such as possession of objects, animals, political relations, etc.) in order of possessed/possessor.
2483:
y no tienen tanta habilidad para recordar y practicar las costumbres y el idioma. Los niños de las generaciones nuevas no tienen habilidad para hablar en Ngäbere.
2212:, mother-in-law, although he was bound in service to them in return for marrying their daughter. Therefore, in this case there are no vocative terms because the
3008:
Kukwe Kuin Ngöbökwe: El Nuevo Testamento en Ngäbere de Panamá (The Good Word of God: The New Testament in Ngäbere of Panama) (2004). Wycliffe Bible Translators.
2478:
Language loss has also occurred because of the very education that has helped a select few Ngäbes move ahead in a Spanish-speaking world. Rodriguez points out:
1334:
expresses “over,” above,” “on top of,” “by,” “in,” “through,” “then,” “after,” “plus” (indicates addition or sum), “with” (indicates instrument), and “behind”
2504:
International, only 18% of children ages 15–19 in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé receive schooling beyond sixth grade, compared to the national average of 65%.
2780:
Payne, T. E. (1988). La Noción de Sujeto en Guaymí (The Notion of Subject in Guaymí). Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Etnolingüísticos, 5, 169-206.
3050:
1925:
One more distinction made by the Ngäbere concept of time is linguistically differentiating between the near past and the remote past, as well as the
3028:
2342:
To harvest someone else's land because you helped to plant it (or with the expectation that you will allow them to harvest from your land in return)
3178:
1322:
Each Ngäbere suffix has a variety of meanings. Some of the most frequently used suffixes and their English equivalents are as follows. The suffix
832:
has been spelled “Ngawbe” by numerous English speakers to reconcile English spelling and the pronunciation. Words that should be written with
1876:
Possession is also shown by placing a personal pronoun or noun in front of an inherently possessed object (family members, body parts, etc.).
3211:
2180:
terms often depend on the sex of the speaker. For example, the words for “brother” and “sister” are determined by the sex of both siblings.
862:
The word order of the Ngäbere sentence generally follows a Subject – Object – Verb pattern, which is a common feature of Chibchan languages.
3355:
2385:
Puberty ritual for boys, in which they were taken out into the wilderness by an elder who taught them how to be men and how to make hats.
1003:
The auxiliary verbs carry the timed or finite verbal inflections, while the complement verbs carry an untimed or non-finite inflection.
2536:
Ephraim S. Alphonse was a Methodist missionary who lived among the Ngäbe for 21 years and became fluent in their language. In 1956 his
1941:
and adding suffixes. It may be translated into English by adding an adverbial phrase to express the implied actual or potential time.
769:
In accordance with the system designed by Arosemena and Javilla, the phonemes /ï/, /ë/ and /ʚ/ are represented with the graphemes
2038:
Verbs are divided for conjugation rules in categories depending on the ending of the verbs and the nasal quality of the vowels.
3043:
2112:
in reference to the Ngäbe and Buglé peoples, respectively, that the terms come from both the Ngäbere and Buglere languages:
1428:
Ngäbere contains many polysemic words, meaning that the same word often has many different meanings. For example, the word
2880:
Young, P. D. (1971). Ngawbe: Tradition and Change Among the Western Guaymí of Panama. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
2156:
It is typical to greet one another or pass the time while working by making a noise known in Spanish as a saloma or grito.
545:
538:
2136:, which means worms. The contacts made by Latinos with the indigenous groups confirmed that the other group was called
1790:
There are no possessive pronouns. Possession is marked depending on the order of possessor and possessed. The suffix
3204:
3058:
2862:
Bletzer, K. V. (1987). Word borrowing and word play among Ngawbere (Panama). East Lansing: Michigan State University.
2100:
originated, although there has been speculation. One such theory is that the term was derived from the Buglere word
2962:
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (National Institute of Statistics and Census), Republic of Panama (2010).
3348:
3036:
409:
2850:
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (National Institute of Statistics and Census), Republic of Panama (2010)
625:
1006:
Negative sentences are most commonly formed in the arrangement of S + Negative + (Auxiliary) + (Object) + Verb.
634:
1930:
remote past change depending on the root class, but the future suffixes remain the same for all root classes.
455:
2901:
K. V. (1987). Word borrowing and word play among Ngawbere (Panama). East Lansing: Michigan State University.
3598:
3197:
705:
In the case of the phonetic sound and , and and appearing in the middle of a word, the symbols used are
641:
487:
171:
785:
763:
740:
736:
3603:
3341:
2581:
823:
create a representation that corresponds to the spelling system in their language. For example, the word
659:
595:
500:
2439:). Many of the loan words are household objects or technologies that were brought in by outsiders (ex.
2454:
The Ngäbe people's feelings about the Latinos can be seen in how they initially called their invaders:
675:
604:
402:
918:
Young and Givón describe the sentence features in which Ngäbere differs from typical S–O–V languages:
2144:, and so the books were written. But now neither of these words designates either of the two groups.)
3593:
3322:
2837:
2789:
Rodríguez, R., Gulick, B., and Flynn, J. (2004). Ngabere Manual. Peace Corps, Panama (unpublished).
3317:
3280:
2951:
2939:
2803:
Rodríguez, R., Gulick, B., and Flynn, J. (2004). Ngäbere Manual. Peace Corps, Panama (unpublished).
611:
239:
2892:
Rodríguez, R., Gulick, B., and Flynn, J. (2004). Ngäbere Manual. Peace Corps, Panama (unpublished)
2508:
uniforms or notebooks for their children. Although the government offers welfare programs such as
1240:
shows dative joining with verbs that show mental state (and may also be used to show possession):
3066:
2104:, which means “indigenous.” Rolando Rodríguez offers another theory of the origin of the words
448:
441:
416:
302:
3301:
1926:
516:
351:
344:
2188:
is a sibling of the opposite sex. Therefore, if the speaker is male, his brother would be
687:
alphabet in the attempt to create a closer sense of correlation between the two languages.
462:
358:
3437:
1861:
Non-inherent possession can also be shown in the possessor/possessed by adding the suffix
8:
3393:
3220:
3080:
2635:
Murillo Miranda, J. M. (2009). The nominal phrase ngäbére. Forma y Función, 22(2), 43-69.
2041:
Auxiliary verbs are used to describe movement, state, and change of state. For example:
3406:
3126:
1432:
denotes name, earth, year, climate, and place, depending on context. Other examples are
3364:
3234:
365:
297:
292:
251:
3443:
3136:
794:
Some letters in the Spanish alphabet are not present in the Ngäbere alphabet, such as
163:
3553:
3521:
3099:
433:
317:
307:
2360:
Chácara, a traditional bag woven from natural fibers or sewn with purchased threads.
3516:
3511:
3477:
3152:
2950:
Minority Rights Group International. Guaymí (Ngobe-Buglé). Updated December 2008.
2735:
Givón, T. (2001). Syntax Vol. II. John Benjamins Publishing Co. Amsterdam, 262-263.
2394:
1596:
All nouns are countable in Ngäbere. To form a plural noun in reference to humans,
1217:
717:
appears in the middle of a word, it is pronounced as . Therefore, a word such as
256:
3471:
2938:
Minority Rights Group International. Guaymí (Ngobe-Buglé). Updated December 2008.
213:
71:
3547:
3428:
3418:
3412:
3401:
3285:
3116:
619:
508:
338:
312:
90:
2702:
2458:, which is a kind of small cockroach. The Spanish language is therefore called
176:
3574:
3378:
3162:
3157:
2128:
to offend them, to say that they were like toads, and the Buglés used the word
2084:
The Ngäbe people and language have been historically referred to by Latinos as
649:
120:
1330:
expresses “over,” “to be in,” “going to,” “and,” “also,” and time. The suffix
3587:
3559:
3531:
3526:
3490:
3484:
3454:
3448:
3275:
3253:
2825:
577:
469:
423:
392:
372:
329:
3495:
2159:
Word play is common, where double and even triple meanings may be implied.
127:
1395:
Nouns may also be derived by placing a suffix at the end of another word:
1225:
is used to show agency for transitive subjects. In the imperfect aspect,
147:
589:
572:
532:
732:
has been collocated after the consonants where the labialization occurs.
3061:
2830:
1615:
In reference to non-human entities, such as animals and other objects,
667:
582:
221:
184:
53:
3189:
2963:
2814:
3333:
479:
387:
156:
140:
1937:(to put) can be conjugated in the following ways by taking the root
49:
2466:, which often used to label the language, is considered demeaning:
230:
98:
1741:
The demonstrative pronouns are modified by the suffix of location
1342:
Nouns may be formed by combining two nouns or a noun with a verb:
3121:
713:
although it is pronounced as and . In a similar manner, when a
382:
2952:
http://www.minorityrights.org/4209/panama/Guaymí-ngobeBuglé.html
2940:
http://www.minorityrights.org/4209/panama/Guaymí-ngobeBuglé.html
1326:
expresses “with,” “only,” or an immediate reaction. The suffix
2682:
narrative text). Estudios Sobre El Discurso En Guaymí, , 61-82.
1731:
That (object is far from the speaker but close to the listener)
698:
is collocated after the nucleus. For example, /kï/ is written
217:
1212:“I can't see.” or literally, “The place is not visible to me.”
2557:
has been inconsistent within the body of published research.
259:, spoken by the Buglé people within the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé.
2654:
Rolando Rodríguez, personal communication, December 9, 2011
2216:, “son-in-law,” was not supposed to directly address them.
2397:
is the language of education and government, and is the
2973:
2971:
2929:
R. Rodríguez, personal communication, December 9, 2011)
2871:
R. Rodríguez, personal communication, December 9, 2011
2858:
2856:
2631:
2629:
2627:
2625:
2623:
2621:
2619:
2617:
2615:
2389:
2096:
has become prevalent. It is not clear where the name
2995:
2993:
2799:
2797:
2795:
2751:
2749:
2747:
2745:
2743:
2741:
3243:
3089:
2968:
2925:
2923:
2921:
2919:
2917:
2776:
2774:
2772:
2722:
2720:
2718:
2716:
2714:
2712:
2853:
2612:
2349:An alcoholic beverage usually of corn (in Spanish,
1737:
That (object is far from both speaker and listener)
728:In the case of labialized consonants, the grapheme
694:In the case of nasalized vowels and diphthongs, an
2990:
2792:
2738:
2914:
2769:
2709:
2196:; if the speaker is female, her brother would be
3585:
1749:to create adverbs and prepositions of location:
1708:may also indicate possession, as in the case of
1196:
1114:
1106:The negative marker precedes the finite verb.
690:Some features of the alphabet are as follows:
3349:
3205:
3044:
2888:
2886:
2663:R. Mendoza, personal communication, June 2010
1440:(language, word, topic, issue, roast, burn),
277:
2987:Gramaticales De Las Lenguas Chibchas,19-82.
1684:Reflexivity and reciprocity is marked with
1448:(mind, intelligence, to want, summer), and
762:is also used for the corresponding phoneme
16:Chibchan language spoken in Central America
3356:
3342:
3212:
3198:
3051:
3037:
2883:
2162:
183:
1248:
1229:also is used to indicate possession (see
1164:
1124:
2148:
1899:Double possession uses both structures:
1389:medicine {} gatherer {} {“medicine man”}
3219:
2672:Personal communication, December 9,2011
3586:
3363:
2088:, although in recent years the use of
963:
229:
3337:
3193:
3032:
1994:"He is putting it there (right now)."
1975:Action to take place in remote future
1725:This (object is close to the speaker)
953:
857:
289:
224:. The people refer to themselves as
2605:
2603:
2601:
2599:
2597:
2527:
1973:"He will put it there (much later)."
1959:"He put it there (a long time ago)."
828:Spanish /o/. Along the same lines,
746:The Spanish graphemes are used for
2964:http://www.contraloria.gob.pa/inec/
2815:http://www.contraloria.gob.pa/inec/
2390:The influence of Spanish on Ngäbere
2332:
1306:
1273:
1200:
1135:
973:
270:Ngäbere is directly referred to as
13:
2565:translation of the New Testament,
2184:is a sibling of the same sex, and
2015:Niarakwe jodron ye mikabare sete.
1950:Niarakwe jodron ye miri sete.
1186:
1175:
245:
14:
3615:
3025:OBJ:object VERB:verb AGENT:agent
2594:
2238:Good morning (afternoon, evening)
2219:
2008:Niarakwe jodron ye mikadre sete.
1952:"He put it there (not long ago)."
735:The allophones of the consonants
674:
658:
640:
633:
624:
610:
603:
594:
544:
537:
515:
499:
486:
468:
461:
454:
447:
440:
422:
415:
408:
401:
371:
364:
357:
350:
343:
3246:
3092:
3060:
2836:
2047:I am going (right now) to bathe.
2027:Jodron ye mikani sete niarakwe.
2017:"They say that he put it there."
1964:Niarakwe jodron ye mikadi sete.
1957:Niarakwe jodron ye mikaba sete.
3011:
3002:
2980:
2956:
2944:
2932:
2904:
2895:
2874:
2865:
2844:
2819:
2806:
2783:
2759:
2729:
2070:
2029:"It has been put there by him."
2010:"He has to put it there (now)."
1987:"He puts it there (right now)."
1971:Niarakwe jodron ye mikai sete.
1386:Kräkä + dianka = {kräka dianka}
1337:
1302:
1269:
1209:Place NEG can-NF see-NF 1SG-DAT
983:
939:
873:
788:is represented by the grapheme
2695:
2685:
2675:
2666:
2657:
2648:
2638:
1985:Niarakwe jodron ye mike sete.
1966:"He will put it there (soon)."
996:SUB VERB-PASS AUX ADV PN-AGENT
886:
212:, is spoken by the indigenous
1:
2538:Guaymí Grammar and Dictionary
1968:Action to take place shortly.
1066:
987:
282:
2498:
2292:I am from the United States.
2001:Jodron ye mika ta sete kwe.
1258:
949:
899:
784:The velar consonant phoneme
7:
2575:
2065:I am going to get firewood.
1906:the hunter's brother's land
999:"This was put here by him."
234:) and to their language as
10:
3620:
2236:Köbö kuin dekä (dere, deu)
2079:
2003:"It was put there by him."
1282:NEG VERB-understand PN+DAT
852:
83:170,000 (2012 census)
3568:
3540:
3504:
3464:
3427:
3392:
3371:
3310:
3294:
3263:
3241:
3227:
3179:Costa Rican Sign Language
3171:
3145:
3109:
3087:
3073:
2031:Completed action that has
1996:Present continuous action
1961:Action completed long ago
1954:Action recently completed
1696:means “to hit,” but when
1452:(pain, difficulty, love)
680:
657:
581:
562:
531:
507:
478:
381:
337:
316:
311:
301:
296:
291:
278:Phonology and Orthography
182:
170:
154:
138:
133:
117:
87:
77:
67:
59:
45:
38:
31:
26:
21:
3318:Panamanian Sign Language
2703:"Words of Life - Guaymi"
2587:
2208:, or father-in-law, and
1916:
1436:(moon, month, tobacco),
3067:Languages of Costa Rica
2510:La Red de Oportunidades
2163:Names and kinship terms
2057:Niara reba blite kuin.
1717:Demonstrative pronouns'
1692:means “to cut onself.”
250:Ngäbere is part of the
3323:Chiriquí Sign Language
3146:Other spoken languages
1933:For example, the verb
1056:"I can’t go with you."
1050:Ti ñan reba näen mäbe.
2274:I'm going over there.
2242:Dre kukwe (“dre gwe”)
2149:Cultural language use
2019:External testimony of
1712:, “one’s own house.”
1285:“I don’t understand.”
1206:Kä ñaka nibi toen tie
1096:Tikwe ñaka ye noaema.
1053:I not can go you+with
719:⟨kwete⟩
3264:Indigenous languages
3110:Indigenous languages
2328:May God go with you.
2290:Ti Estados Unidosbu.
2268:Where are you going?
1904:Kä mundiaka etebakwe
1825:your, yours (plural)
1099:I+AGENT not that did
993:Ye miga ta sete kwe.
723:⟨mike⟩
721:is pronounced , and
3599:Languages of Panama
3221:Languages of Panama
2567:Kukwe Kuin Ngöbökwe
2286:Where are you from?
2059:She can speak well.
2035:continuing effect
1680:Reflexive pronouns'
1102:"I didn't do that."
700:⟨kün⟩
240:Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé
3604:Chibchan languages
3365:Chibchan languages
2582:Ngöbe–Buglé people
2256:What is your name?
2063:Ti niki ngin den.
2012:Present obligation
1704:means “to fight.”
1636:Personal pronouns'
858:Sentence structure
790:⟨ng⟩
748:⟨ch⟩
711:⟨kw⟩
3581:
3580:
3575:extinct languages
3331:
3330:
3228:Official language
3187:
3186:
3100:Costa Rica portal
3074:Official language
2834:(25th ed., 2022)
2571:Ari Kare Ngöböye.
2528:Research problems
2045:Ti nikira jüben.
1912:my father's house
1144:1SG NEG go-EXCLAM
838:⟨k⟩
834:⟨t⟩
816:⟨z⟩
812:⟨x⟩
808:⟨v⟩
804:⟨p⟩
800:⟨q⟩
796:⟨c⟩
779:⟨ä⟩
775:⟨ö⟩
771:⟨ü⟩
760:⟨ñ⟩
756:⟨j⟩
752:⟨y⟩
730:⟨w⟩
715:⟨t⟩
707:⟨k⟩
696:⟨n⟩
684:
683:
560:
559:
436:
395:
332:
326:
252:Chibchan language
191:
190:
3611:
3358:
3351:
3344:
3335:
3334:
3295:Creole languages
3256:
3251:
3250:
3249:
3214:
3207:
3200:
3191:
3190:
3153:American English
3102:
3097:
3096:
3095:
3065:
3064:
3053:
3046:
3039:
3030:
3029:
3018:
3015:
3009:
3006:
3000:
2997:
2988:
2984:
2978:
2975:
2966:
2960:
2954:
2948:
2942:
2936:
2930:
2927:
2912:
2908:
2902:
2899:
2893:
2890:
2881:
2878:
2872:
2869:
2863:
2860:
2851:
2848:
2842:
2841:
2840:
2823:
2817:
2810:
2804:
2801:
2790:
2787:
2781:
2778:
2767:
2763:
2757:
2753:
2736:
2733:
2727:
2724:
2707:
2706:
2699:
2693:
2689:
2683:
2679:
2673:
2670:
2664:
2661:
2655:
2652:
2646:
2642:
2636:
2633:
2610:
2607:
2333:Cultural customs
2266:Mä niki medente?
1845:the child's food
1551:Very salty water
1548:Water salty very
1545:Ñö mrene krubäte
1424:(Ngäbe language)
1308:
1304:
1279:Ñakare gare tie.
1275:
1271:
1260:
1250:
1202:
1198:
1188:
1177:
1166:
1137:
1126:
1116:
1068:
989:
985:
975:
965:
955:
951:
941:
901:
888:
875:
839:
835:
817:
813:
809:
805:
801:
797:
791:
787:
780:
776:
772:
765:
761:
757:
753:
749:
742:
738:
731:
724:
720:
716:
712:
708:
701:
697:
678:
662:
644:
637:
628:
614:
607:
598:
567:
566:
548:
541:
519:
503:
490:
472:
465:
458:
451:
444:
434:
426:
419:
412:
405:
393:
375:
368:
361:
354:
347:
330:
324:
287:
286:
233:
200:, also known as
187:
166:
150:
143:
123:
103:Guaymi languages
93:
19:
18:
3619:
3618:
3614:
3613:
3612:
3610:
3609:
3608:
3584:
3583:
3582:
3577:
3564:
3536:
3500:
3460:
3423:
3388:
3367:
3362:
3332:
3327:
3306:
3290:
3281:Northern Embera
3259:
3252:
3247:
3245:
3239:
3223:
3218:
3188:
3183:
3167:
3141:
3105:
3098:
3093:
3091:
3085:
3069:
3059:
3057:
3027:
3022:
3021:
3016:
3012:
3007:
3003:
2998:
2991:
2985:
2981:
2976:
2969:
2961:
2957:
2949:
2945:
2937:
2933:
2928:
2915:
2909:
2905:
2900:
2896:
2891:
2884:
2879:
2875:
2870:
2866:
2861:
2854:
2849:
2845:
2835:
2826:Guaymí language
2824:
2820:
2811:
2807:
2802:
2793:
2788:
2784:
2779:
2770:
2766:Chibchas,19-82.
2764:
2760:
2756:Chibchas,19-82.
2754:
2739:
2734:
2730:
2725:
2710:
2701:
2700:
2696:
2690:
2686:
2680:
2676:
2671:
2667:
2662:
2658:
2653:
2649:
2643:
2639:
2634:
2613:
2608:
2595:
2590:
2578:
2530:
2501:
2392:
2335:
2326:Ngöbö rika mäbe
2222:
2200:and her sister
2192:and his sister
2165:
2151:
2082:
2073:
1989:Present action
1919:
1837:Minchi Mariakwe
1588:
1578:
1570:
1562:
1553:
1543:
1535:
1527:
1518:
1508:
1500:
1491:
1486:child small one
1481:
1473:
1465:
1444:(tree, large),
1393:
1384:
1376:
1368:
1360:
1352:
1340:
1320:
1318:“Hello to you.”
1315:Greeting PN+DAT
1310:
1296:
1287:
1277:
1263:
1252:
1214:
1204:
1190:
1179:
1168:
1158:
1149:
1139:
1128:
1118:
1104:
1094:
1086:
1078:
1070:
1058:
1048:
1040:
1032:
1024:
1016:
1001:
991:
977:
967:
957:
943:
916:
903:
890:
877:
860:
855:
837:
833:
815:
811:
807:
803:
799:
795:
789:
778:
774:
770:
759:
758:. The Spanish
755:
751:
747:
729:
725:is pronounced .
722:
718:
714:
710:
706:
699:
695:
565:
386:
306:
285:
280:
248:
246:Language family
231:[ˈŋɔbe]
162:
146:
139:
124:
119:
113:
94:
91:Language family
89:
80:
79:Native speakers
63:Central America
17:
12:
11:
5:
3617:
3607:
3606:
3601:
3596:
3579:
3578:
3569:
3566:
3565:
3563:
3562:
3557:
3550:
3544:
3542:
3538:
3537:
3535:
3534:
3529:
3524:
3519:
3514:
3508:
3506:
3505:Arwako–Chimila
3502:
3501:
3499:
3498:
3493:
3488:
3481:
3474:
3468:
3466:
3465:Kuna–Colombian
3462:
3461:
3459:
3458:
3451:
3446:
3441:
3433:
3431:
3425:
3424:
3422:
3421:
3416:
3409:
3404:
3398:
3396:
3390:
3389:
3387:
3386:
3381:
3375:
3373:
3372:Waimí (Guaymi)
3369:
3368:
3361:
3360:
3353:
3346:
3338:
3329:
3328:
3326:
3325:
3320:
3314:
3312:
3311:Sign languages
3308:
3307:
3305:
3304:
3302:Bocas del Toro
3298:
3296:
3292:
3291:
3289:
3288:
3283:
3278:
3273:
3267:
3265:
3261:
3260:
3258:
3257:
3242:
3240:
3238:
3237:
3231:
3229:
3225:
3224:
3217:
3216:
3209:
3202:
3194:
3185:
3184:
3182:
3181:
3175:
3173:
3172:Sign languages
3169:
3168:
3166:
3165:
3163:Haitian French
3160:
3158:Haitian Creole
3155:
3149:
3147:
3143:
3142:
3140:
3139:
3134:
3129:
3124:
3119:
3113:
3111:
3107:
3106:
3104:
3103:
3088:
3086:
3084:
3083:
3077:
3075:
3071:
3070:
3056:
3055:
3048:
3041:
3033:
3023:
3020:
3019:
3010:
3001:
2989:
2979:
2967:
2955:
2943:
2931:
2913:
2903:
2894:
2882:
2873:
2864:
2852:
2843:
2818:
2805:
2791:
2782:
2768:
2758:
2737:
2728:
2708:
2694:
2684:
2674:
2665:
2656:
2647:
2637:
2611:
2592:
2591:
2589:
2586:
2585:
2584:
2577:
2574:
2569:and a hymnal,
2554:
2553:
2550:
2529:
2526:
2500:
2497:
2488:
2487:
2484:
2473:
2472:
2443:“cell phone,”
2408:
2407:
2391:
2388:
2387:
2386:
2379:
2371:
2361:
2354:
2343:
2334:
2331:
2330:
2329:
2323:
2317:
2311:
2305:
2299:
2293:
2287:
2281:
2280:I am visiting.
2275:
2269:
2263:
2262:My name is ...
2257:
2251:
2245:
2239:
2233:
2221:
2220:Useful phrases
2218:
2164:
2161:
2150:
2147:
2146:
2145:
2118:
2081:
2078:
2072:
2069:
2068:
2067:
2061:
2055:
2051:Ti bi niken.
2049:
2033:
2032:
2021:
2020:
2013:
2006:
1999:
1998:
1997:
1977:
1976:
1969:
1962:
1955:
1918:
1915:
1914:
1913:
1907:
1897:
1896:
1890:
1884:
1874:
1873:
1859:
1858:
1852:
1846:
1840:
1833:
1832:
1826:
1820:
1814:
1813:his, her, hers
1808:
1802:
1782:
1781:
1775:
1769:
1768:Way over there
1763:
1757:
1739:
1738:
1732:
1726:
1676:
1675:
1669:
1663:
1657:
1651:
1645:
1632:
1631:
1613:
1612:
1586:That large pig
1583:Pig large that
1571:
1563:
1555:
1554:
1536:
1528:
1520:
1519:
1501:
1493:
1492:
1474:
1466:
1458:
1457:
1426:
1425:
1411:
1382:“medicine man”
1377:
1369:
1361:
1353:
1345:
1344:
1339:
1336:
1297:
1289:
1288:
1264:
1253:
1243:
1242:
1218:split-ergative
1191:
1180:
1169:
1159:
1151:
1150:
1147:I'm not going!
1129:
1119:
1109:
1108:
1087:
1079:
1071:
1060:
1059:
1041:
1033:
1025:
1017:
1009:
1008:
978:
968:
958:
944:
934:
933:
929:
928:
924:
923:
891:
878:
865:
864:
859:
856:
854:
851:
820:
819:
792:
782:
767:
744:
733:
726:
703:
682:
681:
679:
672:
670:
664:
663:
656:
654:
652:
646:
645:
638:
631:
629:
622:
616:
615:
608:
601:
599:
592:
586:
585:
580:
575:
570:
564:
561:
558:
557:
555:
553:
551:
549:
542:
535:
529:
528:
526:
524:
522:
520:
513:
511:
505:
504:
497:
495:
493:
491:
484:
482:
476:
475:
473:
466:
459:
452:
445:
438:
430:
429:
427:
420:
413:
406:
399:
397:
390:
379:
378:
376:
369:
362:
355:
348:
341:
335:
334:
327:
321:
320:
315:
310:
300:
295:
290:
284:
281:
279:
276:
247:
244:
189:
188:
180:
179:
174:
168:
167:
160:
152:
151:
144:
136:
135:
134:Language codes
131:
130:
125:
121:Writing system
118:
115:
114:
112:
111:
110:
109:
97:
95:
88:
85:
84:
81:
78:
75:
74:
69:
65:
64:
61:
57:
56:
47:
46:Native to
43:
42:
40:
36:
35:
29:
28:
24:
23:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
3616:
3605:
3602:
3600:
3597:
3595:
3594:Guaymí people
3592:
3591:
3589:
3576:
3572:
3567:
3561:
3558:
3556:
3555:
3551:
3549:
3546:
3545:
3543:
3539:
3533:
3530:
3528:
3525:
3523:
3520:
3518:
3515:
3513:
3510:
3509:
3507:
3503:
3497:
3494:
3492:
3489:
3487:
3486:
3482:
3480:
3479:
3475:
3473:
3470:
3469:
3467:
3463:
3457:
3456:
3452:
3450:
3447:
3445:
3442:
3440:
3439:
3435:
3434:
3432:
3430:
3426:
3420:
3417:
3415:
3414:
3410:
3408:
3405:
3403:
3400:
3399:
3397:
3395:
3391:
3385:
3382:
3380:
3377:
3376:
3374:
3370:
3366:
3359:
3354:
3352:
3347:
3345:
3340:
3339:
3336:
3324:
3321:
3319:
3316:
3315:
3313:
3309:
3303:
3300:
3299:
3297:
3293:
3287:
3284:
3282:
3279:
3277:
3274:
3272:
3269:
3268:
3266:
3262:
3255:
3254:Panama portal
3244:
3236:
3233:
3232:
3230:
3226:
3222:
3215:
3210:
3208:
3203:
3201:
3196:
3195:
3192:
3180:
3177:
3176:
3174:
3170:
3164:
3161:
3159:
3156:
3154:
3151:
3150:
3148:
3144:
3138:
3135:
3133:
3130:
3128:
3125:
3123:
3120:
3118:
3115:
3114:
3112:
3108:
3101:
3090:
3082:
3079:
3078:
3076:
3072:
3068:
3063:
3054:
3049:
3047:
3042:
3040:
3035:
3034:
3031:
3026:
3014:
3005:
2996:
2994:
2983:
2974:
2972:
2965:
2959:
2953:
2947:
2941:
2935:
2926:
2924:
2922:
2920:
2918:
2907:
2898:
2889:
2887:
2877:
2868:
2859:
2857:
2847:
2839:
2833:
2832:
2827:
2822:
2816:
2809:
2800:
2798:
2796:
2786:
2777:
2775:
2773:
2762:
2752:
2750:
2748:
2746:
2744:
2742:
2732:
2723:
2721:
2719:
2717:
2715:
2713:
2704:
2698:
2688:
2678:
2669:
2660:
2651:
2641:
2632:
2630:
2628:
2626:
2624:
2622:
2620:
2618:
2616:
2606:
2604:
2602:
2600:
2598:
2593:
2583:
2580:
2579:
2573:
2572:
2568:
2562:
2558:
2551:
2548:
2547:
2546:
2542:
2539:
2534:
2525:
2521:
2517:
2513:
2511:
2505:
2496:
2492:
2485:
2481:
2480:
2479:
2476:
2469:
2468:
2467:
2465:
2461:
2457:
2452:
2448:
2446:
2442:
2438:
2434:
2430:
2426:
2422:
2418:
2414:
2405:
2404:
2403:
2400:
2399:lingua franca
2396:
2384:
2380:
2376:
2372:
2369:
2366:
2362:
2359:
2355:
2352:
2351:chicha fuerte
2348:
2344:
2341:
2337:
2336:
2327:
2324:
2321:
2318:
2315:
2312:
2309:
2306:
2303:
2300:
2297:
2294:
2291:
2288:
2285:
2282:
2279:
2278:Ti ta basare.
2276:
2273:
2272:Ti niki sete.
2270:
2267:
2264:
2261:
2258:
2255:
2252:
2249:
2246:
2243:
2240:
2237:
2234:
2231:
2228:
2227:
2226:
2217:
2215:
2211:
2207:
2203:
2199:
2195:
2191:
2187:
2183:
2177:
2173:
2169:
2160:
2157:
2154:
2143:
2139:
2135:
2131:
2127:
2123:
2119:
2115:
2114:
2113:
2111:
2107:
2103:
2099:
2095:
2091:
2087:
2077:
2066:
2062:
2060:
2056:
2054:
2050:
2048:
2044:
2043:
2042:
2039:
2036:
2030:
2026:
2025:
2024:
2018:
2014:
2011:
2007:
2005:Passive voice
2004:
2000:
1995:
1991:
1990:
1988:
1984:
1983:
1982:
1981:
1974:
1970:
1967:
1963:
1960:
1956:
1953:
1949:
1948:
1947:
1946:
1942:
1940:
1936:
1931:
1928:
1923:
1911:
1908:
1905:
1902:
1901:
1900:
1894:
1891:
1888:
1885:
1882:
1879:
1878:
1877:
1871:
1868:
1867:
1866:
1864:
1856:
1853:
1850:
1847:
1844:
1841:
1838:
1835:
1834:
1830:
1827:
1824:
1821:
1818:
1815:
1812:
1809:
1806:
1803:
1800:
1797:
1796:
1795:
1793:
1788:
1787:
1779:
1776:
1773:
1770:
1767:
1764:
1761:
1758:
1755:
1752:
1751:
1750:
1748:
1744:
1736:
1733:
1730:
1727:
1724:
1721:
1720:
1719:
1718:
1713:
1711:
1707:
1703:
1699:
1695:
1691:
1687:
1682:
1681:
1673:
1670:
1667:
1664:
1661:
1658:
1655:
1652:
1649:
1646:
1643:
1640:
1639:
1638:
1637:
1629:
1625:
1622:
1621:
1620:
1618:
1610:
1606:
1603:
1602:
1601:
1599:
1594:
1593:
1587:
1584:
1581:
1577:
1574:
1569:
1566:
1561:
1558:
1552:
1549:
1546:
1542:
1539:
1534:
1531:
1526:
1523:
1517:
1514:
1511:
1507:
1504:
1499:
1496:
1490:
1489:A small child
1487:
1484:
1483:Monso chi iti
1480:
1477:
1472:
1469:
1464:
1461:
1456:
1453:
1451:
1447:
1443:
1439:
1435:
1431:
1423:
1419:
1415:
1412:
1409:
1405:
1401:
1398:
1397:
1396:
1392:
1390:
1387:
1383:
1380:
1375:
1372:
1367:
1364:
1359:
1356:
1351:
1348:
1343:
1335:
1333:
1329:
1325:
1319:
1316:
1313:
1309:
1300:
1295:
1292:
1286:
1283:
1280:
1276:
1267:
1262:
1256:
1251:
1246:
1241:
1239:
1234:
1232:
1228:
1224:
1219:
1216:Ngäbere is a
1213:
1210:
1207:
1203:
1194:
1189:
1183:
1178:
1172:
1167:
1162:
1157:
1154:
1148:
1145:
1142:
1138:
1132:
1127:
1122:
1117:
1112:
1107:
1103:
1100:
1097:
1093:
1090:
1085:
1082:
1077:
1074:
1069:
1063:
1057:
1054:
1051:
1047:
1044:
1039:
1036:
1031:
1028:
1023:
1020:
1015:
1012:
1007:
1004:
1000:
997:
994:
990:
981:
976:
971:
966:
961:
956:
947:
942:
937:
932:
926:
925:
921:
920:
919:
915:
912:
909:
906:
905:Ti aro kwete.
902:
897:
894:
889:
884:
881:
876:
871:
868:
863:
850:
846:
842:
831:
826:
793:
783:
781:respectively.
768:
745:
734:
727:
704:
693:
692:
691:
688:
677:
673:
671:
669:
666:
665:
661:
655:
653:
651:
648:
647:
643:
639:
636:
632:
630:
627:
623:
621:
618:
617:
613:
609:
606:
602:
600:
597:
593:
591:
588:
587:
584:
579:
576:
574:
571:
569:
568:
556:
554:
552:
550:
547:
543:
540:
536:
534:
530:
527:
525:
523:
521:
518:
514:
512:
510:
506:
502:
498:
496:
494:
492:
489:
485:
483:
481:
477:
474:
471:
467:
464:
460:
457:
453:
450:
446:
443:
439:
437:
432:
431:
428:
425:
421:
418:
414:
411:
407:
404:
400:
398:
396:
391:
389:
384:
380:
377:
374:
370:
367:
363:
360:
356:
353:
349:
346:
342:
340:
336:
333:
328:
323:
322:
319:
314:
309:
304:
299:
294:
288:
275:
273:
268:
266:
260:
258:
253:
243:
241:
237:
232:
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
186:
181:
178:
175:
173:
169:
165:
161:
159:
158:
153:
149:
145:
142:
137:
132:
129:
126:
122:
116:
108:
105:
104:
102:
101:
100:
96:
92:
86:
82:
76:
73:
70:
66:
62:
58:
55:
51:
48:
44:
41:
39:Pronunciation
37:
34:
30:
25:
20:
3570:
3552:
3483:
3476:
3453:
3436:
3411:
3383:
3270:
3131:
3024:
3013:
3004:
2982:
2958:
2946:
2934:
2906:
2897:
2876:
2867:
2846:
2829:
2821:
2808:
2785:
2761:
2731:
2697:
2687:
2677:
2668:
2659:
2650:
2640:
2570:
2566:
2563:
2559:
2555:
2543:
2537:
2535:
2531:
2522:
2518:
2514:
2509:
2506:
2502:
2493:
2489:
2477:
2474:
2463:
2459:
2455:
2453:
2449:
2444:
2440:
2436:
2432:
2428:
2424:
2420:
2416:
2412:
2409:
2398:
2393:
2382:
2374:
2367:
2364:
2357:
2350:
2346:
2339:
2325:
2319:
2313:
2310:How are you?
2307:
2301:
2295:
2289:
2283:
2277:
2271:
2265:
2259:
2253:
2247:
2241:
2235:
2229:
2223:
2213:
2209:
2205:
2201:
2197:
2193:
2189:
2185:
2181:
2178:
2174:
2170:
2166:
2158:
2155:
2152:
2141:
2137:
2133:
2129:
2125:
2121:
2109:
2105:
2101:
2097:
2093:
2089:
2085:
2083:
2074:
2071:Demographics
2064:
2058:
2052:
2046:
2040:
2037:
2034:
2028:
2022:
2016:
2009:
2002:
1993:
1986:
1979:
1978:
1972:
1965:
1958:
1951:
1944:
1943:
1938:
1934:
1932:
1924:
1920:
1910:Ju ti rünkwe
1909:
1903:
1898:
1895:Samuel's eye
1892:
1889:your brother
1886:
1880:
1875:
1869:
1862:
1860:
1854:
1848:
1843:Mrö monsokwe
1842:
1836:
1828:
1822:
1816:
1810:
1804:
1798:
1791:
1789:
1785:
1783:
1780:Toward there
1777:
1771:
1765:
1759:
1753:
1746:
1742:
1740:
1734:
1728:
1722:
1716:
1714:
1709:
1705:
1701:
1697:
1693:
1689:
1685:
1683:
1679:
1677:
1671:
1668:you (plural)
1665:
1659:
1653:
1647:
1641:
1635:
1633:
1627:
1626:(chicken) =
1623:
1616:
1614:
1608:
1604:
1597:
1595:
1591:
1589:
1585:
1582:
1579:
1575:
1572:
1567:
1564:
1559:
1556:
1550:
1547:
1544:
1540:
1537:
1532:
1529:
1524:
1521:
1515:
1512:
1509:
1505:
1502:
1497:
1494:
1488:
1485:
1482:
1478:
1475:
1470:
1467:
1462:
1459:
1454:
1449:
1445:
1441:
1437:
1433:
1429:
1427:
1421:
1417:
1413:
1407:
1403:
1399:
1394:
1391:
1388:
1385:
1381:
1379:kräka dianka
1378:
1373:
1370:
1365:
1362:
1357:
1354:
1349:
1346:
1341:
1338:Noun phrases
1331:
1327:
1323:
1321:
1317:
1314:
1312:Ñantörö mäe.
1311:
1301:
1298:
1293:
1290:
1284:
1281:
1278:
1268:
1265:
1257:
1254:
1247:
1244:
1237:
1235:
1231:noun clauses
1230:
1226:
1222:
1215:
1211:
1208:
1205:
1195:
1192:
1184:
1181:
1173:
1170:
1163:
1160:
1155:
1152:
1146:
1143:
1141:Ti ñan rika.
1140:
1133:
1130:
1123:
1120:
1113:
1110:
1105:
1101:
1098:
1095:
1091:
1088:
1083:
1080:
1075:
1072:
1064:
1061:
1055:
1052:
1049:
1045:
1042:
1037:
1034:
1029:
1026:
1021:
1018:
1013:
1010:
1005:
1002:
998:
995:
992:
982:
979:
972:
969:
962:
959:
948:
945:
938:
935:
930:
917:
914:"I eat rice"
913:
911:SUB OBJ VERB
910:
907:
904:
898:
895:
892:
885:
882:
879:
872:
869:
866:
861:
847:
843:
829:
824:
821:
689:
685:
303:Postalveolar
271:
269:
264:
261:
249:
235:
228:(pronounced
225:
209:
205:
201:
197:
193:
192:
155:
106:
32:
2284:Mä medente?
2053:I am going.
1927:near future
1893:Samuel okwä
1855:Nukro tikwe
1851:your mother
1839:Maria's cat
1829:Niaratrekwe
1786:Possessive'
1774:Toward here
1630:(chickens).
1580:Mütü kri ye
1416:(person) +
1402:(to rob) +
1261:-understand
1236:The marker
533:Approximant
3588:Categories
2831:Ethnologue
2435:“cross” →
2316:I am fine.
2314:Ti ta kuin
2308:Mä tua ño?
2248:Basakukwe.
2244:What's up?
1849:Meye mäkwe
1710:ja gwriete
1700:is added,
1619:is added:
1607:(woman) =
1600:is added:
1592:Plurality'
1510:Mrö ñakare
908:I rice eat
283:Consonants
222:Costa Rica
216:people in
54:Costa Rica
3573:indicate
3394:Talamanca
2499:Education
2419:“rice” →
2378:chácaras.
2320:Ja tuaita
2254:Mä kä ño?
2250:Visiting.
2134:gwa minta
2102:ngwamigda
1980:Unlimited
1883:my father
1819:our, ours
1690:Ja tikekä
1513:Food none
620:Close-mid
480:Fricative
394:voiceless
388:Affricate
157:Glottolog
141:ISO 639-3
68:Ethnicity
3554:Dorasque
3522:Kankuamo
3438:Corobicí
2911:137-154.
2692:137-154.
2576:See also
2464:dialecto
2427:“car” →
2368:Balsería
2322:See you.
2142:Guaymíes
1887:Mä eteba
1872:my house
1811:Niarakwe
1801:my, mine
1672:Niaratre
1410:(robber)
1366:gatherer
1350:medicine
1294:Greeting
1046:you+with
650:Open-mid
298:Alveolar
293:Bilabial
272:dialecto
210:Valiente
206:Chiriquí
164:ngab1239
99:Chibchan
3571:Italics
3517:Chimila
3512:Arhuaco
3478:Chibcha
3407:Cabécar
3384:Ngäbere
3379:Buglere
3235:Spanish
3127:Cabécar
3122:Buglere
3081:Spanish
2460:Suliare
2441:celular
2395:Spanish
2340:Juride'
2260:Ti kä …
2230:Ñantörö
2138:Bokotas
2130:gwarare
2126:bokotas
2122:bobotas
2094:Ngäbere
2080:History
2023:others
1945:Limited
1778:Segware
1772:Negware
1702:ja mete
1656:he, she
1611:(women)
1609:meritre
1538:krubäte
1516:No food
1422:Ngäbere
1291:Ñantörö
1089:noaema.
853:Grammar
578:Central
383:Plosive
318:Glottal
308:Palatal
257:Buglere
236:Ngäbere
198:Ngäbere
107:Ngäbere
33:Ngäbere
22:Ngäbere
3548:Borũca
3444:Maléku
3419:Teribe
3413:Huetar
3402:Bribri
3286:Teribe
3271:Guaymí
3137:Maléku
3132:Guaymí
3117:Bribri
2375:Mägän'
2302:Ñakare
2110:Bogotá
2106:Guaymí
2098:Guaymí
2086:Guaymí
1881:Ti run
1870:Ti jue
1857:my dog
1831:theirs
1823:Munkwe
1817:Nunkwe
1747:–kware
1628:kwikrä
1503:ñakare
1374:
1363:dianka
1358:
1245:Ñakare
1136:EXCLAM
893:kwete.
814:, and
777:, and
741:/βðɣɾ/
737:/bdɡr/
563:Vowels
435:voiced
218:Panama
208:, and
202:Movere
194:Guaymí
177:Guaymí
60:Region
50:Panamá
27:Movere
3541:Other
3429:Votic
2588:Notes
2456:Sulia
2437:kruso
2425:carro
2417:arroz
2365:Krün'
2232:Hello
2214:duana
2202:eteba
2198:ngwae
2194:ngwae
2190:eteba
2186:ngwae
2182:Eteba
2132:, or
2090:Ngäbe
1917:Verbs
1807:yours
1805:Mäkwe
1799:Tikwe
1762:There
1654:Niara
1568:large
1533:salty
1530:mrene
1525:Water
1471:small
1463:child
1460:Monso
1438:kukwe
1414:Ngäbe
1347:Kräkä
1156:Place
1131:rika.
1067:AGENT
1062:Tikwe
1043:mäbe.
988:AGENT
830:Ngäbe
825:Ngäbe
590:Close
573:Front
509:Trill
339:Nasal
325:plain
313:Velar
226:Ngäbe
214:Ngäbe
196:, or
128:Latin
72:Ngäbe
3560:Pech
3532:Wiwa
3527:Kogi
3491:Kuna
3485:Duit
3472:Barí
3455:Voto
3449:Rama
3276:Kuna
2445:mesa
2433:cruz
2429:caro
2413:Jesu
2383:Grä'
2358:Kra'
2108:and
2092:and
1939:mika
1935:mike
1792:–kwe
1766:Sete
1760:Yete
1756:Here
1754:Nete
1745:and
1694:Mete
1674:they
1617:-krä
1605:meri
1598:-tre
1576:that
1557:Mütü
1541:very
1506:none
1498:Food
1450:tare
1408:gogä
1400:gore
1332:–bti
1328:–btä
1299:mäe.
1266:tie.
1259:VERB
1255:gare
1227:-kwe
1223:-kwe
1185:see-
1182:toen
1174:can-
1171:nibi
1161:ñaka
1084:that
1073:ñaka
1035:näen
1027:reba
980:kwe.
970:sete
954:PASS
950:VERB
946:miga
900:VERB
883:rice
798:and
739:are
709:and
668:Open
583:Back
331:lab.
220:and
3496:Uwa
2828:at
2421:aro
2347:Dö'
2298:Yes
2296:Jän
2140:or
2124:or
1992:OR
1743:–te
1688:.
1666:Mun
1660:Nun
1650:you
1624:Kwi
1565:kri
1560:Pig
1495:Mrö
1479:one
1476:iti
1468:chi
1442:kri
1420:=
1418:-re
1406:=
1404:-gä
1324:–be
1307:DAT
1274:DAT
1249:NEG
1233:).
1201:DAT
1197:1SG
1193:tie
1165:NEG
1134:go-
1125:NEG
1121:ñan
1115:1SG
1092:did
1076:not
1030:can
1022:not
1019:ñan
974:ADV
964:AUX
940:SUB
896:eat
887:OBJ
880:aro
874:SUB
836:or
754:,
750:,
456:d͡ʒ
410:t͡ʃ
265:ütü
172:ELP
148:gym
3590::
2992:^
2970:^
2916:^
2885:^
2855:^
2794:^
2771:^
2740:^
2711:^
2614:^
2596:^
2431:,
2423:,
2415:,
2304:No
2210:me
1865:.
1863:-e
1735:Se
1729:Ye
1723:Ne
1706:Ja
1698:ja
1686:ja
1662:we
1648:Mä
1642:Ti
1573:ye
1522:Ñö
1446:tö
1434:sö
1430:kä
1303:PN
1270:PN
1238:-e
1187:NF
1176:NF
1153:Kä
1111:Ti
1081:ye
1065:I+
1038:go
1011:Ti
984:PN
960:ta
936:Ye
867:Ti
810:,
806:,
802:,
773:,
470:ɡʷ
424:kʷ
373:ŋʷ
204:,
52:,
3357:e
3350:t
3343:v
3213:e
3206:t
3199:v
3052:e
3045:t
3038:v
2705:.
2381:'
2373:'
2363:'
2356:'
2353:)
2345:'
2338:'
2206:u
1784:'
1715:'
1678:'
1644:I
1634:'
1590:'
1371:=
1355:+
1305:+
1272:+
1199:-
1014:I
986:-
952:-
870:I
786:ŋ
766:.
764:ɲ
743:.
702:.
676:a
660:ɔ
642:o
635:ɤ
626:e
612:u
605:ɯ
596:i
546:l
539:w
517:r
501:h
488:s
463:ɡ
449:d
442:b
417:k
403:t
385:/
366:ŋ
359:ɲ
352:n
345:m
305:/
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