Leco language

Not to be confused with Leko languages.
Leco
Leko, Rik’a
Native to Bolivia
Region east of Lake Titicaca
Ethnicity 2,800 (2001)[1]
Native speakers
20 (2001)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 lec
Glottolog leco1242[2]

Leco, also written as Leko, is a language isolate that, though long reported to be extinct, is spoken by 20–40 individuals in areas east of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. The Leco ethnic population is about 80.

Historical, social, and cultural aspects

History

Apart from some brief lists of vocabulary, the main document for which Leco is known is a Christian doctrine compiled by the missionary Andrés Herrero at the beginning of the 19th century. That doctrine was published in 1905 by Lafone Quevedo, who used it as a source to make a grammatical description of the language. That work was virtually the only available document about Leco, until the linguist Simon van de Kerke (1994) located some speakers of the language and compiled some additional facts which enlarged the analysis of Quevedo.

Use and description

In Grimes (1988), Leco is classified as a language isolate and is considered extinct. However, Montaño Aragón (1987) found some speakers of the language in the region of Atén and in Apolo, La Paz, in Franz Tamayo Province in the Bolivian department of La Paz, along Mapiri River in Larecaja Province (situated also in the department of La Paz).

Some speakers were relocated by van de Kerke (1994–97). These speakers, mostly men, were older than 50 years and had not habitually used the language since a long time before that. Van de Kerke relates that the speakers do not feel sufficiently secure to conduct a conversation spontaneously in Leco.

Linguistic description

Phonology

In regard to the phonology of Leco, one can point out the following (based on van de Kerke, 2009: 289–291). Leco has the following system of consonant phonemes:

Figure 1: Consonants in Leco
Bilabial consonants Dental consonants Alveolar consonants Palatal consonants Velar consonants Glottal consonants
Stop consonants Simple p / b t / d k
Aspirate ph th kh
Glottalized p' t' k'
Affricate consonants Simple tsch
Glottalized ch'
Fricative consonants s / z h
Nasal consonants m n ng
Lateral consonants l
Rhotic consonants r
Semivowels w y

Besides, Leco has six vowel phonemes: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ and /è/. The opposition among the first five vowels is distinguished in the data, but the opposition between /e/ and /è/ is found only in a limited number of words, as for example pele 'balsa' and pèlè 'name of plant'.

Lexicon and classes of words

In regard to the lexicon and the classes of words in Leco, one can mention the following (van de Kerke, 2009: 293–297):

Morphology

In regard to the morphological characteristics of Leco, one can point out the following (van de Kerke, 2009: 297–313).

(1)seneng-kihu-ku-atedulsi
all-DAT3PL-dar-PAS.1candy
‘To all I gave a candy.’
(2)utrabajo-racheraabon-da-no-nelamka-sich-ne
whatwork-LOCwefind-FUT-NML-INTwork-INF-TOP
‘In what work are we going to find work (in the town)?’
(3)lilwoubus-no-telal-rep/lal wara-rep
grasshoppercome out-NML-DCLearth-ABL/earth interior-ABL
‘The grasshopper comes out from the earth / from within the earth.’
(4)wesranos-tha-te
Guanayfar-DIM-DCL
‘Guanay is a little far.’
(5)yo-phos-bekaho-rat’e-no-te
1SG-daughter-DELthis-LOClive-NML-DCL
‘My daughter no longer lives here.’
(6)lamka-sichyu-gustas-in-te
work-INF1.O-please-NEG-DCL
‘Working does not please me.’
(7)ya-ache-kiyo-mokiaychayin-k’o-a-ka-te
1SG-father-GEN1SG-GENmeat1.BEN-eat-PF-AUX-DCL
‘My father has eaten the meat for me.’ (I was not able to eat any more)
Figure 2: Inflection of the verb
Verbal root PROG NEG NML/N/ADJ PL CID AUX PASDCL/INTPerson
-o
Adj/N -t -m/-n
-aya -mono -ka -taah
V -cha -in -no -ne -am/-an
-ir -a -no(h)
-ich -s
(8)erafuerza-hote-to:ya-ache-ki-kamo-no-mono-taah-te
Istrength-POS-PRS.11SG-father-GEN-COMPsay-NML-CID-PAS-DCL
‘It is said that he said "I have strength like my father".’
(9)chikaes-cha-no-telamkas-in-kama-te-am
veryrain-PRS-NML-DCLwork-NEG-work-DCL-PL.1
‘It is raining heavily; we can not work.’
(10a)iyatabal-a
you (singular)maize (corn)plant-IMP
‘Plant maize (corn)!’
(10b)hekatabal-noku
you (singular)maize (corn)plant-IMP.PL
‘(You [plural]) plant maize (corn)!’
(11)yo-mokiwarsuchtiltil-hi-no-te
1-GENtrousersundone-CMPL-NML-DCL
‘My trousers have been completely broken.’
(12)wothawonon-wari-no-te
hillcaminar-subir.por.tierra-NML-DCL
‘He/she is walking up the hill.’
(13)yobas-ayayanapas-mo-no-aya-tedihwobal-ich-ki
man-PLhelp-REC-NML-PL-DCLpeanutplant-INF-DAT
‘The men are helping each other to plant peanuts.’
(14)o-botha-tha-kido-ko-ki-a
2-brother-DIM-DAT3.O-take-CAUS-IMP
‘Make him take your (singular) little brother!’

In Leco, one sees productive processes of reduplication. With substantives, reduplication can be interpreted as 'a heap/much of', with adjectives, 'a high degree of'; with verbs the interpretation is very diverse and not always transparent; thus we have the reduplicate verb tiltilkach 'to be undone', derived from tiltil 'undone', which expresses a state or process, for which reason it is combined also with the auxiliary kach 'to be'.

Speech

In regard to the characteristics of spoken Leco, one can point out the following:

(15)hino yobas-ne palantasoh-cha-no-temoki-achoswai-ki
this man-TOPplatanolook at-PR-NML-DCLGEN-3wife-DAT
‘This man is searching for platano for his wife (of another).’
(16)chera du-kama-tean Buruada-in-teandu-ch
wespeak-can-1PLLekowant-NEG-1PLspeak-INF
'We can speak Leco, but we do not want to speak it.
(17)aycha ne-no-te
meat exist-NML-DCL
‘There is meat!’
(18)wesra nosna-in-tha-te
Guanay farbe-NEG-DIM-DCL
‘Guanay is very near.’
(19a)sok’och da-no-neiya-n
foodwant-NML-INTyou (singular)-INT
‘Do you (singular) want to eat?’
(19b)ha-ne busa-cha-no-n
who-INT arrive-PRS-NML-INT
‘Who is arriving?’
(20)on chelas-noyobas-nek’o-in-tewet-ra-no-te
thatbecome sick-NMLman-TOPeat-NML-DCLdie-FUT-DCL
‘That sick man is not eating; he is going to die.’
(21)on chelas-nok’o-in-tenoko-in-tewet-ra-no-te
thatbecome sick-NMLeat-NML-DCLnotdrink-NML-DCLdie-FUT-DCL
‘That sick man is neither eating nor drinking; he is going to die.’
(22)ch’epe yin-soncho-a-rakatre-tebar-ka-cha-no-to:
ill1.BEN-become sick-PF-LOCcot-LOClying-AUX-PRS-NML-PRS.1
‘Because I feel ill I am lying on a cot.’

References

  1. 1 2 Leco at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Leco". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

External links

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